An organization launched in Texas five years ago has donated more than 300 stuffed animals to the Dallas County Sheriff's Department. Denice Hanna launched "Alana's Gift" in memory of her daughter who died in a car crash.

Hanna's daughter died in 1998. She says she had struggled to talk about her daughter, but when she launched the project, that helped her find a mission to honor Alana's memory.


"I honestly don't know if I was strong enough to talk about it in public before now," she says. "But these stuffed animals are actually healing my heart one animal at a time."


Since starting the project in 2018, Hanna says she has delivered more than 15,000 stuffed animals to 25 police and fire departments.

Photo credits: Alan Scaia

An organization launched in Texas five years ago has donated more than 300 stuffed animals to the Dallas County Sheriff's Department. Denice Hanna launched "Alana's Gift" in memory of her daughter who died in a car crash.
Hanna's daughter died in 1998. She says she had struggled to talk about her daughter, but when she launched the project, that helped her find a mission to honor Alana's memory.
 "I honestly don't know if I was strong enough to talk about it in public before now," she says. "But these stuffed animals are actually healing my heart one animal at a time."
 Since starting the project in 2018, Hanna says she has delivered more than 15,000 stuffed animals to 25 police and fire departments.
Photo credits: Alan Scaia

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