Butterfly release

It’s been 11 years since the fatal car crash that claimed the lives of Gulfport teens Kiara and Jameel Pearse.
The K&J Foundation honored their lives by releasing 150 butterflies at the Safety Fair. Kaira and Jameel were not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident and the foundation aims to provide education on seat belt use and provide scholarships.
Kiara and Jameel’s parents are trying to strengthen the seat belt laws and increase usage in the state of Mississippi. Yvette Pearse, Kiara and Jameel’s mother, said, “We do the release in memory of our children and also to remind people to wear their seat belts when they are in their cars because that’s how our children passed. Butterflies contribute to the environment and we just thought that would be a better way to memorialize our children.”
The Pearse family tells News 25 they hope this will help remind children and parents that a seat belt can save a life.