Connecticut woman uses hand-painted tumblers to raise awareness for domestic violence victims

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — Cups for a Cause DV is more than a small owned business, it also raises awareness for domestic violence victims.

For Dana Casser… that outlet would turn into these hand painted cups. “In 2018, I lost my best friend to domestic violence,” Dana Casser, owner of Cups for a Cause DV said.”  “After having some time to think about it and process it, I needed a creative outlet.”

After watching those videos she got the idea for her business. “I started watching Facebook videos and found these Tumblrs, and it was a rabbit hole of people making different things,” She said.

She was able to go to craft fairs and raise awareness and raise money. Casser says last year she donated more than six thousand dollars to shelters and organizations.

“Which was most important for me, so nobody had to experience what I experienced the day my friend died,” Casser said.  She and Danielle were best friends, she says people often said they looked like sisters and even fought like it.
They met during their freshman year at University of Hartford.

“She stayed in Connecticut after college and I went back home and then wound up moving back to Connecticut for a teaching job,” She said. “The only reason I was able to move away from my family was because she was here. So that’s been the hardest adjustment is not having my best friend here while I’m still here.”

Casser says she was Daniellé’s emergency contact and she was the first call the police made when they found her.

“I was her emergency contact on all of her paperwork and, when they scanned her dog on her chip,” she said. “So I just don’t want anyone to experience that. I really don’t want anyone to have to go through it and by raising awareness and money to advocate for these things, I didn’t know about all these shelters. If I had known more about it, I feel like I could have done a lot more for Danielle.”
 
She says going to different craft fairs allows her to meet other women who experienced domestic violence too. “Who can relate and tell me they just got out of a domestic relationship and so it makes me feel good to know that I’m helping that”

Casser sells her cups at the Beehive Mercantile in New Britain. Co-owner Sheryl Mela says they are supportive of Casser’s cause.

“It’s very important that we deliver to our community, community service, community outreach,” Mela said. “We have an event space here to be available for all kinds of events and for, um, our community as a whole.”

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