Gift of Bunnies Honors Dally, Helps Children

They’re the latest soldiers in the fight against domestic violence: 2,000 big-eared, beady-eyed bunnies. Their stitched smiles and plush coats are intended to comfort hundreds of Ventura County children whose lives have been scarred by crime.

Starting this week, their furry faces will appear at charities across the county, thanks to an unprecedented donation to the Victim Services Division of the district attorney’s office, which will keep some bunnies on hand to ease the fears of children swept up by the criminal justice system.

The donation, valued at more than $42,000, was made Monday by the owners of a Santa Monica-based company, who wanted to recognize murder victim Sherri Dally, a 35-year-old day-care provider and mother of two young boys, for her devotion to children.

“Sherri was a woman who had much love to give. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for the children she took care of,” said company co-owner Lauren Sand, who is developing a screenplay based on Dally’s life and slaying.

Dally was kidnapped May 5, 1996, and fatally stabbed by her husband’s lover, Diana Haun. Her body was dumped in a ravine north of Ventura and found a month later by a search party of friends.

In one of the most high-profile court cases in county history, prosecutors charged Haun and Dally’s husband, Michael, with first-degree murder for plotting an elaborate murder scheme. Both were convicted and are serving life prison sentences without the possibility of parole.

Sand said she came to know and appreciate Sherri Dally through the eyes of her family and friends.

So when her company, Grabbit, ran into a pre-holiday snafu with the production of its trademark cartoon bunny of the same name, Sand decided to give in Dally’s memory 92 boxes of stuffed animals, bunny slippers, rabbit-shaped backpacks and other products.

“Sherri was so into her children and taking care of other children, and here were these Grabbits,” Sand said. “It just kind of felt like it came full circle.”

On Monday, Sand and her business partner presented about a dozen Grabbits to Dally’s mother, Karlene Guess, and Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury.

“This will help brighten Christmas for a lot of kids,” Bradbury said, cradling a creamy-white bunny backpack under his arm.

“Sherri loved children so much,” Guess added. “To see these being given in her name brings warmth to my heart.”

Last week, hundreds of bunnies were taken from the manufacturer in Simi Valley to the fourth floor of the district attorney’s office to await delivery to Catholic Charities’ offices in Moorpark, Ventura and Oxnard.

Catholic Charities will distribute bunnies to needy children and victims of domestic violence in time for the holidays, and the Victim Services Division will keep others to comfort children embroiled in court matters.

For years, Victim Services has given stuffed “D.A. bears” to children so they would have a cuddly companion to hold while testifying in court cases. The idea behind the bears has been to help ease and comfort children in a traumatic situation.

Sand’s company was started with a similar objective in mind.

A hybrid between toy company and manufacturer of emergency-preparedness kits, Grabbit specializes in stylish backpacks filled with emergency gear, such as water bottles, flashlights, rain ponchos and toothbrushes. The bunnies were created to help children and adults cope with emotional stress, either extreme, as from natural disasters, or mild, as from travel.

Grabbit’s line of children’s products includes slippers, rattles and beanie bunnies, all designed after the title character, a resourceful cartoon rabbit.

Although stuffed animals have been donated to Victims Services in the past, Director Debbie O’Neill said Sand’s donation is the largest to date.

That, Guess said, would have made her daughter proud. “This is wonderful,” she said. “It’s a gift of love from Sherri. She’s looking down, saying, ‘Right on.’ ”