NORFOLK, Va. - For a few months, a memorial for Sierra Jenkins could be seen on Granby Street in Downtown Norfolk.
Jenkins, a young, beloved reporter at the Virginian-Pilot, was one of three people shot and killed on Granby Street in March.
At Jenkins' memorial, if you looked closely, you’d see orange stickers with her image, signature and the phrase, “Sierra was here.”
“It’s really telling you that she was a part of this community,” Norfolk resident Xavier Owens said.
Owens passes by the memorial every Monday and Wednesday when going to classes at Tidewater Community College. He told News 3 her death impacted him personally.
“She was one of us,” Owens said. “She was someone working towards her goals and her future, and unfortunately, that was cut short.”
For Drew Ferebee, Jenkins was her best friend.
“That was my sister,” Ferebee said. “We were a lot alike. Sierra stretched my thinking. She made me passionate. I had never seen anybody as passionate as Sierra.”
Just days after Jenkins' death, Ferebee came up with the Sierra Jenkins Project. The project includes orange stickers honoring the journalist’s legacy while also raising awareness of gun violence.
“I knew I would be speaking at her funeral, and I wanted to do something that would give people a piece of Sierra,” Ferebee said.
Right now, about 30,000 stickers are circulating all over Norfolk and beyond Hampton Roads.
“Within the first week, she [Sierra] had already made it to Hawaii,” Ferebee said. “I think the furthest she’s made it is Dubai and Kenya.”
“I think it’s something fun that people want to be a part of to carry Sierra with them where they go. It’s the coolest thing ever to watch,” Ferebee added.
Ferebee told News 3 The Sierra Jenkins Project is currently accepting donations for stickers, with all proceeds going towards a scholarship to be created in Sierra's honor. Exact details of the scholarship are still in the works, but Ferebee and others are hoping to start the scholarship by next year.
All of this is part of Ferebee’s mission, with each sticker carrying Sierra’s story.
“She was a storyteller,” Ferebee said. “I know I’m going to spend the rest of my life of sharing who Sierra was and her impact, what she did, and how special she was.”
According to Ferebee, the Sierra Jenkins Project is accepting donations via direct message on Instagram. She said a donation of $6 will result in eight stickers and a note from Sierra’s mother.
