Our Story
The Dallas Lamar Project is a registered 501(c)(3) community-centered nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting individuals and families navigating pregnancy and infant loss.
Rooted in compassion, connection, and healing, we create safe spaces where grieving families can find peer support, meaningful resources, and community. We are especially committed to helping address gaps in culturally responsive grief support within Black and Brown communities.
Founded in 2026, the Dallas Lamar Project was created in response to a reality far too many grieving families experience: finding support that feels accessible, relatable, and understanding of both their grief and lived experiences can be difficult.
We believe no one should have to navigate grief alone. Through peer support groups, resource connections, partnerships, education, and community engagement, we are building a network of care where families can feel seen, heard, supported, and connected.
At the heart of this work is the little boy whose life inspired it all.
The Dallas Lamar Project was created in loving memory of Dallas Lamar, the son of our founder, Shiyonne Chester.
Dallas was born on July 17, 2011. For three months and three days, his life brought immeasurable love and joy to his family. On October 20, 2011, Dallas passed away from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Losing Dallas changed Shiyonne's life forever. As she learned to live with the grief of losing her son, she also experienced the loneliness that can accompany child loss, particularly when others may not fully understand its depth or lasting impact.
Over time, that deeply personal journey became the foundation for a greater purpose: creating the kind of compassionate, culturally responsive support and community that she, and so many other grieving families, needed.
Although Dallas's life was brief, his impact continues.
His memory is at the heart of the Dallas Lamar Project and our commitment to creating spaces where grieving families feel seen, heard, understood, and supported.
Through every peer support circle, every connection made, every resource shared, and every family reminded that they do not have to grieve alone, Dallas's legacy lives on.
Meet Our Visionary Leaders
The Dallas Lamar Project is championed by empathetic experts and advocates committed to providing essential care and culturally responsive resources for families throughout their healing journey.
