Community rallies around Listenbee family
Friends and family pose with photo collages at Aspire Park on Tuesday, June 2, honoring Braniel Listenbee. (photo:Ben Pounds )
Listenbee died May 22 from smoke inhaled during fire in her home on May 21.
It only took a few days for the community to respond. The Clinton Athletic Club collected donations at a flag football event on Sunday, May 31, honoring Listenbee’s time as an Athletic Club cheerleader.
Creative Couture 24 gave out key chains at the event for optional donations. And on Tuesday June 2, a crowd of friends and family, young and old, joined a vigil, releasing balloons at Aspire Park. A crowdfunding campaign on GoFundme for the Listenbee family has raised over $16 thousand, surpassing its goal of $10,000.
“They have definitely gone above and beyond what I ever could have imagined,” said Braniel’s mother, Canice Listenbee. She also said there had been an outpouring of supportive comments on Facebook.
“I’m beyond grateful for everything that the community in general has done for me and my family,” she said, adding that it allowed her to see how many people cared about her family that she hadn’t realized did. “It’s definitely put Clinton in a different light for me. Not that I ever thought that it was a bad city, it’s just that I go to work, I go home and spend time with the kids. My babies are my life. Whatever they wanted to do that’s what we did.” The support she received, however, made her realize the number of people in Clinton who cared about her and her daughter.
Clinton High School cheerleading coach Brooke Hooks said the Clinton High School cheerleaders are the ones who directly coach the younger people like Braniel Listenbee in the Clinton Athletic Club cheerleading program. Still as the coach of her coaches she knew Braniel well and will miss her. She said she looked at the girls in the program as her own, and her own daughter had been on Braniel’s team. She said telling the Dragons cheerleaders about Listenbee’s death was “gut wrenching.”
“Braniel really was the sweetest, kindest little girl,” said Hooks. “It’s crazy wonderful to see the community support behind all this.”
Jason Herrell, flag football director for Clinton Athletic Club said he had not known Listenbee but knew people who knew her, leading to his involvement in honoring her with a flag football event. At the game, the Clinton Athletic Club held a moment of silence.
“That’s life in a small community in Clinton,” Herrell said regarding why he got involved. “She was a classmate of a bunch of these kids out here. She was a cheerleader. She was a teammate.”
He said the loss of such a small child was “devastating” and that he wanted to give back to the Listenbee family to help with their burden. So, instead of charging gate fees the Clinton Athletic Club instead took donations for the Listenbee family.
David Smith, owner of Creative Couture is a member of the Clinton Athletic Club board and also a coach for flag and tackle football. The keychains he made for the flag football event feature the CAC orange cheerleading bow with angel wings while the t-shirts he made for the Listenbee family feature photographs. Smith said his company offered these products on its website and was splitting the proceeds with the Listenbees.
“We’re like family,” he said regarding the Clinton Athletic Club’s support for its athletes like Listenbee.
Memories
Classmates of Listenbee and sisters of each other Aurora St. Cyr and Avery Bowerman made a poster with photos of Listenbee as well as words and stickers for the June 2 vigil. The three had been friends since kindergarten.
“She used to give my sister piggybacks and she made funny jokes,” said St. Cyr. “I would like to be back together with her because we have never broken apart as friends.”
Older brother Brien Listenbee described his sister as loving and energetic.
“She was just willing to talk to anybody and get to know you,” he said. “She wasn’t super old, but she definitely had a lot of life in her.” He said he felt the two of them hadn’t made enough memories together but he did remember enjoying karaoke, gaming, playing outside and going to trampoline parks with her.
“She had that kind of a giving spirit,” said Canice of her daughter. “I believe she would have grown up to become a philanthropist.” She said Braniel had given many different answers for what she wanted to be when she grew up, including singer, teacher, veterinarian or medical professional. But it always involved helping people, and she’d also spoken of wanting to build housing for homeless people or adopt a sister. Canice also said Braniel was always looking for gifts to give family members based on their interests. She said Braniel liked the songs from the film KPop Demon Hunters as well as Kidz Bop songs and the Pastor Mike Jr. song “I’m Proof.”
“She would sing along to all of those songs,” Canice said. “She could hear a song one time and almost know all the words.”
Rob Ellis knew Braniel Listenbee through his work for Knoxville Intercity Kids Outreach (KIKO). The group holds boys and girls clubs at Clinton Community Center on Thursdays in the spring and fall. The group did songs and Bible lessons. Ellis said Listenbee kept coming even as a fourth grader at the age many other children quit coming.
“When she got older she became almost like a role model to the younger kids,” Ellis said. “She was a real sweetheart for sure.”
Hooks similarly remembered Listenbee’s kindness and spirit.
“You could not have a bad day around her,” Hooks said. “Her smile was contagious.”
