Every year, Kyra’s Champions plants hundreds of pinwheels in Manhasset’s Mary Jane Davies Park to represent every child in the family court system killed by a parent. Every year, more pinwheels are added to the lawn as more children are killed.
“That’s absolutely heartbreaking, knowing that New York Family Court continues to fail children at staggering rates, and nothing has been done legislatively to stop this,” said Jacqueline Franchetti, founder of Kyra’s Champions.
Kyra’s Champions is a child safety advocacy group formed by Franchetti in response to the murder of her daughter Kyra by Kyra’s father in the summer of 2016. Kyra was 28 months old when she was on an unsupervised, court-approved visit with her father, who shot her in her sleep.
Franchetti and the members of Kyra’s Champions hope that every year is the last year they must organize as they advocate for the passage of Kyra’s Law – a law named in honor of Franchetti’s daughter that would add protections for children in the family court system at risk of violence by a parent or guardian.
The law is now one step closer to possibly being implemented.
On April 6, Kyra’s Champions planted the pinwheels in the park, and the next day, the state Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed Kyra’s Law.
Franchetti was sitting in the Senate chamber when the bill passed, something she called deeply emotional, as many senators shared Kyra’s story and expressed support to Franchetti.
The bill is now in the Senate Codes Committee, but it must be passed by both the state Senate and Assembly to become law.
Franchetti and Kyra’s Champions have been advocating for the law to be passed for years.
Every year when she returns to advocate, she said more kids have been killed since the last time she was there that could have been saved if the law had already been passed.
“It is heartbreaking to keep going up there and telling them my story, telling those stories of other children who should be alive today,” Franchetti said. “The school bus drives by my house every single day and Kyra is not on it. No other family should go through this. No other child should go through this.”
Pinwheels for Prevention is an annual event held by Kyra’s Champions. This is its fifth year.
This year, 763 pinwheels were planted – each representing a child killed in the state. She said that while the number is overwhelming, it doesn’t even begin to illustrate the scope of children who are court-ordered into a home where a parent or guardian is acting violently toward them.
“Enough is enough,” Franchetti said. “We need to pass Kyra’s Law, we must make child safety the top priority in a custody case and we need to protect children because the next child that will be murdered could be one that you know and love.”
Franchetti described the event as “for kids and by kids,” meaning that children and teenagers, some of whom are personally affected by the issue, are the ones in charge of conducting the event and advocating for the cause.
“It is so empowering to see them get involved in this cause to stop their friends, their colleagues, even some of them, who are being harmed because of the ongoing systemic failures of New York State Family Court,” Franchetti said.
Shayna Blumenfeld is a youth ambassador with Kyra’s Champions and is one of the organizers for the Pinwheels for Prevention event.
Looking at the hundreds of pinwheels, Blumenfeld said she felt heartbroken, enraged, and upset by the reality they represented. But in tandem with those emotions was also hope, Blumenfeld said, as she saw all the individuals standing among the pinwheels devoted to quelling the issue.
“I just hope I’m making [Kyra] proud,” Blumenfeld said.
Some of the other kids involved in the organization are amid active custody cases in which they fear violence in their homes. Blumenfeld stressed the importance of passing Kyra’s Law to protect these kids she fostered friendships with.
“I carry it with me every day,” Blumenfeld said. “Whenever I’m working with Kyra’s Champions, I know that I need to pass [Kyra’s Law] as soon as possible because I can’t plant another pinwheel next year… If we don’t get this passed, my friends won’t be there with me next year.”
