CAMANO ISLAND — No one should have to walk in Dayna Fure’s shoes.
Or those of her parents. Instead of seeing their 18-year-old daughter off to college in 2004, they buried her after a former boyfriend sneaked into the family’s Stanwood home and shot and killed Fure. He then turned the gun on himself.
On Monday, six years to the day after Fure’s death, community leaders, domestic violence advocates and Fure’s loved ones gathered to mark a new beginning with the launch of “In Their Shoes,” a training exercise to prevent teen dating violence.
The program is designed to teach adults working with teens to recognize signs of abuse and to take the right steps to protect teens. It’s a kind of a role-playing exercise featuring six characters who are based on the stories of real teens.
It shows that small decisions can have big consequences for the teens, said Kelly Starr with the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, which developed the training.
“You see what it’s like for these teens,” she said.
Both men and women can be victims of domestic violence.
Research shows that 1 in 3 American teens faces abuse in a relationship. Teen advocates hope the training will help in Snohomish County, said Vicci Hilty, deputy director at the Domestic Violence Service of Snohomish County.
The exercise teaches adults that some things they might dismiss as trivial can have a huge significance in a teen’s life.
Many of the people Fure turned to didn’t know enough about how to help her. It’s too late to tell if someone could have saved her, but others in her situation can be saved, said Fure’s mother, Melody Hafner.
She recalled on Monday how Fure helped build a school in Mexico and found ways to get medical help for sick children there.
Her mother remembered grand plans and little preferences: The honor student and athlete had planned to study law at Gonzaga University. She loved the color pink.
To pay for the training program, Fure’s family used part of a $1.75 million legal settlement they received from Snohomish County. They contributed $80,000 for “In Their Shoes” and another $20,000 to a group that provides relief to Mexico.
The teen’s parents said Stanwood police, which contracts with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, should have done more to protect her from Mario Valentin, 23.
Fure had broken off a two-year relationship with Valentin a few weeks before her death. After he stalked her and threatened to kill himself, Fure got a protection order. Still, people didn’t recognize how much of a danger Valentin really posed, Fure’s parents said.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
On the Web
To learn more about the program, go to www.wscadv.org
For domestic violence resources in Snohomish County, go to www. dvs-snoco.org or call a free, confidential 24-hour crisis hotline at 425-252-2873.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
