Hundreds attend balloon release to remember Kimball High School mentor killed in crash
DALLAS - Hundreds of people gathered Wednesday at Kimball High School in Oak Cliff to honor a woman remembered for her leadership and for helping students achieve their goals.
Hanan Ali-Lacy died Sunday after a teen driver t-boned her vehicle. She was a counselor who worked at Kimball High School helping kids get into college.
The community Ali-Lacy helped showed her grieving family just how much she was loved.
It seems everyone has a story about their favorite advisor. Ali-Lacy worked for a non-profit that helped Dallas ISD students get on track and get to college. She always went above and beyond.
The community, however, is heartbroken while trying to stay strong.
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"This is so beautiful," said Ali-Lacy’s mother, Alecia Ward. "These are students. We’re here. And they’re all grieving, but they’re celebrating her life."
Ward found out Sunday that her daughter died in a car wreck. A 17-year old boy was driving along Pleasant Run Road in DeSoto. His passenger told police he put the vehicle into sport mode and began speeding up a hill and then down a hill.
MORE: Woman killed in DeSoto crash remembered for helping countless Dallas ISD students go to college
Ali-Lacy was turning onto the road from a side street. The teenager t-boned her jeep, sending it dozens of yards away into a fence. She died on scene.
Quinniyah Spead is one of countless students Ali-Lacy helped. She’s six months pregnant but says Ali-Lacy helped her get into college this fall.
"And I still had the opportunities to do college field trips and she was just there for me," Spead said. "And I was a troublemaker. Anyways, she was still there for me."
Recently married this year, Ali-Lacy also had two kids. Her parents say it’s comforting to see the huge showing of support.
For each balloon released, Ali-Lacy ‘s family knows it symbolizes a heart their daughter touched. One that was always there to help and treat anyone as family.