April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Coincidentally, April 4th also should have been Kyra’s 10th Birthday. To raise awareness of child abuse prevention and to honor the memories of children from New York State who were taken too soon, Kyra’s Champions is hosts our annual Pinwheels for Prevention in the Parks at Blumenfeld Park in Port Washington and Mary Jane Davies Green Park in Manhasset, New York.

Kyra Franchetti was 28-months-old when she was shot to death in her sleep by her father during an unsupervised, court-approved visit, despite warnings and eyewitness accounts of threatening, abusive, and concerning behavior. What happened to Kyra can happen to a child you know and love, unless legislative changes are made.

In her too short life, Kyra frequently played in Mary Jane Davies Green Park and Blumenfeld Park. At Mary Jane Davies Green Park, Kyra demanded to “go fast” on the swings and loved going down the slides. During the summer, Kyra spent her days in the sprinkler area at Blumenfeld Park. Her mother, Jacqueline Franchetti, vividly remembers one hot summer day when another family was walking towards them. The Dad looked at his children, pointed at Kyra – who was laughing and splashing in the water - and said, “If you have half as much fun as she is having, it will be a great day.” Both parks are special places for Kyra.

For the Pinwheels for Prevention in the Parks, Kyra’s Champions is planting 760 pinwheels to honor the memories of children from New York who were killed. The 760 number represents:

35 children, who like Kyra, were murdered by their parent during a child custody case, divorce or separation in the last 8 years
the deaths of 725 New York children in the last decade that have been kept hidden by Child Protective Services as reported by the Times Union

Kyra’s Champions wants to shine the light on the need for transparency, accountability, and most importantly - change - to better protect our children. We honor each one of these children’s memories, as their deaths could have and should have been prevented.

This is an event for kids and by kids. It’s particularly poignant the pinwheels are being placed by young people from our area as a community service to raise awareness to prevent child abuse. Shayna B. is Kyra’s Champions Youth Ambassador. She was involved in the planning and staging of the pinwheels with the Town of North Hempstead, and she has recruited her peers and members of our community to plant the pinwheels. We are grateful for Shayna’s ongoing dedication and commitment to this initiative. Shayna was also just named Top 40 Under 40 by Blank Slate Media on Long Island due to her work with Kyra’s Champions.

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Kyra’s Law

Kyra’s child custody case is the inspiration for one new law and seven new bills in the New York State legislature, including one bill called “Kyra’s Law,” to better protect children from abusive parents. Kyra’s story has also resulted in the passage of legislative and policy measures federally and in multiple states.

Kyra’s Law is common sense legislation that will make the safety of the child the top priority in child custody adjudications, mandates our judges are properly trained in child abuse and family violence prior to overseeing these cases, and address critical shortcomings in child custody cases that result in children being abused at epidemic rates.

The bill is sponsored by Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi (D-Queens) and Senator James Skoufis (D-Rockland), and has already attracted bi-partisan support from Long Island Assemblymembers from Nassau and Suffolk Counties including Charles Lavine (Chair of the Assembly Judiciary Committee), Gina Sillitti, David McDonough, Keith Brown, and Fred Thiele, and Long Island Senators including Anthony Palumbo, Jack Martins, and Alexis Weik.

Photos below are courtesy of Carin Forman, Natalie Labib and Susan Auriemma.