Jeyson Reyes touched many lives on this earth, including his teacher and classmates when he was a student in the Sayville School District. His bright smile also left his imprint as a third-generation resident of Ocean Beach Village, where he spent his summers growing up. He was a personable young man with a warm spirit.
“Jeyson would give the shirt off his back, and the shirt off my back too,” his mother, Jonneigh “Bunny” Adrion, recalled fondly.
Jeyson wanted to help anyone he felt was in need: the homeless people he encountered, elderly individuals who he met, and his classmates who knew him for his gentle charm. He also had a soft spot for animals and could win over the unsocial feral cats and transform them into his loyal pets.
“He had empathy for those who do not have a voice. That’s just who Jeyson was.”
His untimely death left both communities gutted. The circumstances were tragic. Over Labor Day Weekend, a high fever brought Jeyson into a Long Island hospital emergency room. The attendants repeatedly tested him for COVID-19, with each test returning with negative results. The diagnosis of meningitis combined with encephalitis came weeks into the process. He passed away on the first day of autumn in 2021 at the age of 16-years-old.
How does a devoted one get over that? The answer is that one does not, but there is a pathway through and forward, as his dedicated mother exemplifies. In 2022, after a dedicated track record of public service, Jonneigh would be promoted to the position of Village Clerk
of Ocean Beach and retain her long-held position of Village Justice Court Clerk, making her historically the first individual in the 100-year history of the incorporated village to hold both roles.
Jonneigh established the Jeyson Reyes Memorial Scholarship Fund in 2023, the year that would have been Jeyson’s high school graduation year.
“Jeyson was a kind of exceptional kid. He was a one-in-a-million kid. He just had that big heart for people and love of people. And he had forgiveness,” Jonneigh recalled in an interview before the first scholarship bestowed in her son’s honor.
It is a unique scholarship intended for a young person like Jeyson. It is not based on athletic or academic achievements but for a graduating Sayville High School student who has the gift of an open heart and will contribute to society with it.
As the Jeyson Reyes Memorial Fund continues to evolve, so does its mandate. Last Christmas season, Jonneigh introduced a new dimension to its mission. In addition to the scholarship, an elite group of “Jeyson’s Earth Angels” has been disbanded on South Shore Long Island. They may cover the difference if a person ahead of them has come up short on the grocery checkout line, or maybe it’s a gas tank at the station. Perhaps you met one. Their pay-it-forward deeds are random and may not be life-changing, but they will make a difference in somebody’s day, which could be everything. This way, we can brighten our corner of the world in incremental steps.
“My daughter, Amelia, remembers Jeyson from the 5th-grade school chorus,” recalled John Wells, resident of Sayville and Sales Representative of Riverhead Building Supply. When I heard about the fund’s mission, I thought it was a brilliant idea. My son, John, agreed to do it with me. On a frigid and windy winter’s day, we went
to East Patchogue and handed out 20 $10 Dunkin Donuts gift cards and a card explaining the fund. Many people were suspicious of us when we approached. It made me realize that many people are living in fear of others. I hope acts of kindness help to restore people’s trust.
John also believes that participation in the Earth Angel program has been good for his children.
“I asked my son why he still does it, and he replied, ‘The opportunity to be of service to others is consistently one of the most enriching aspects of my life.'”
Ocean Beach Community Service Administrator, Diane Montes of Bay Shore took the Earth Angels act to the West Coast, where her brother Anthony lives in Los Angeles.
“I was thrilled when Bunny asked me to be an angel,” Montes said. “And my brother Anthony was also so happy to participate with me. He gave away so many gift cards in San Francisco and LA. This year, I will purchase gift cards to donate to Jeyson’s organization and continue giving to those who are just kind and unsuspecting. I want them to feel appreciated.”
The Earth Angels are also doing their magic in the state of Florida thaks’ to Jonneigh’s Barbara and Jennifer friend Barbara Sinclair and Jennifer Sloane, as well as Pennsylvania, courtesy of Eileen Pillar, another forever friend.
Perhaps one of the most moving accounts was a handwritten note by Jeyson’s high school friend, Tamari Jackson.
“Jeyson was a true friend to me,” Tamari writes. “In elementary school, he offered to buy me lunch when I had no money. He was always there for me.”
Tamari would become the first Sayville High graduate to receive a Jeyson Reyes Memorial scholarship, and he completed his first year at Buffalo State University and did well.
More information about the Jeyson Reyes Scholarship & Kindness Fund can be found on GoFundMe.
