Toy Bunnies Donated for Young Victims of Abuse

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 local children whose lives have been scarred by crime.

Starting this week, their furry faces will appear at charities across the county, thanks to a 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 in the criminal justice system.

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

Dally was kidnapped on 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.

Haun and Dally’s husband, Michael, were convicted and are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.