Family, friends, and even strangers released red balloons in remembrance of 9-year-old Dreyton Sims to celebrate what would have been his 10th birthday.
The balloons were released at Fisherman’s Park in Shelbyville on the Duck River Sunday afternoon.
Dreyton was with his older brother playing in the Duck River on July 4 when they got caught in the current. A bystander was able to pull Dreyton’s 11-year-old brother from the water, but Dreyton was swept away. His body was found two days later.
On Sunday, dozens of people, some who didn’t even know Dreyton, gathered to release the balloons and support his family.
They said their shirts and the balloons were red because that was Dreyton’s favorite color. Many shirts also had a photo of Dreyton wearing his football gear with the words “Remembering Dreyton.”
“He had a bright, bubbly personality and was always smiling,” said Dreyton’s grandfather, Andrew Sims. “He just kept telling me, ‘I want to be a quarterback. I want to play for the NFL.’”
Multiple gofundme pages were set up for the family: Dreyton's father's side, mother's side, and Dreyton's aunt.
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