Sand Dollars for Dainara

On October 14th, 2024, one of my best friends, Dainara Nicole Burford, was tragically murdered by her husband. At her celebration of life, the murderer was not mentioned, and she was referred to by her maiden name. On change.org, I started a petition called Dainara’s Law to mandate the legal name change of domestic violence murder victims. It’s a law that needs to be made, for which I have gotten support; however, this is a depressing subject. Domestic violence is never easy to address especially when a death is the result of it. In an attempt to raise awareness, another one of my best friends, Sarina Higgins, came up with the wonderful idea of using hidden art to promote Dainara’s Law.

I had started painting sand dollars one day and didn't really know what to do with them. I had mentioned to Sarina that I was struggling to get Dainara's Law noticed while also saying that it's hard to promote something so sad. She suggested hiding the sand dollars in random areas to draw attention in a positive light. We also decided to use other type of seashells as well. With each sand dollar or seashell, a note is left with information for http://www.change.org/dainaraslaw and Dainara's Law Instagram account @dvawarenessnow . On the back of the sand dollars, I write the info in sharpie.

The goal is the get people who find the sand dollar or seaside to visit http://www.change.org/dainaraslaw and @dvawarenessnow to learn about Dainara's Law then place it in a new location leaving the info with it. After placing it in the new location take a picture and send or tag @dvawarenessnow on Instagram. In the beauty of art, we hope to spread the word and make this year the year we get Dainara's Law passed.

By passing this law, we not only honor those who lost their lives but pave the way for a future where victims are remembered with dignity, respect, and autonomy. We also can prevent future killers by refusing to connect the victims to the murder. Let’s advocate for this legal provision. Please sign this petition http://www.change.org/dainaraslaw to demand justice for domestic violence victims and their families.