Pinwheels For Prevention Displays To Honor Slain LI Toddler In April

PORT WASHINGTON, NY — On Saturday, kids will be installing 745 pinwheels in two Port Washington-area parks to raise awareness for National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The displays, called Pinwheels for Prevention in the Parks, run through April 18 and is made possible by North Hempstead Town Councilwoman Veronica Lurvey and Supervisor Jennifer DeSena. You can see them at Blumenfeld Park in Port Washington and Mary Jane Davis Green Park in Manhasset.

These pinwheels, according to event organizer Jacqueline Franchetti, represent the 745 New York children who were killed in the last decade due to the failings of the New York Court System or Child Protective Services. One of those children is Franchetti's 2-year-old daughter Kyra.

In the summer of 2016, Kyra was murdered by her father during a court-approved, unsupervised visit in Virginia. Authorities said 58-year-old Roy Eugene Rumsey shot the toddler twice in the back before setting his house on fire in a murder-suicide.

Franchetti — who, at the time, was embroiled in a custody battle with Rumsey — said she told the judge that her ex was unstable and that Kyra shouldn't be left in his care. But to no avail.

"Her death was entirely preventable," she said.

Working through her grief after her daughter's death, she founded Kyra's Champions to raise awareness about children involved in custody battles who she believes could be better protected by the family court system.

Recently, she has been working furiously to highlight six bills in Albany that were inspired by Kyra's story.

The first bill, which is titled "Kyra's Law," aims to make child safety the top priority in divorce and custody cases. It would mandate training for judges in child abuse and family violence before overseeing cases, and address other critical shortcomings in child custody cases "that result in children being abused at epidemic rates," Franchetti said.

The bill is sponsored by Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) and Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-North Hills). It has generated bipartisan support across the political divide, including from assemblymembers Michael Durso (R-Massapequa Park), Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove), Keith Brown (R-Northport), Gina Sillitti (D-Port Washington), and Fred Thiele (I-Sag Harbor).

Residents Encouraged To Show Off Their Own Pinwheels

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Coincidentally, April 4, 2022 would have been Kyra's 8th birthday.

To raise awareness about child abuse prevention and to honor children lost to domestic violence, like Kyra, Franchetti is asking residents to put eight pinwheels in their front yard.

"Don't have eight pinwheels? For $28, the number of months Kyra's smile graced our world, I'll send you the pinwheels," Franchetti said.

You can purchase them here.