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The weekend child visitation exchange between Sabrina Reed and her estranged husband, Robert, had become a delicate transaction strained by fear and tension.

Increasingly frightened for her safety in an abusive relationship, Sabrina Reed had filed for divorce. She and her husband were separated. On weekends, Robert Reed drove to his in-laws' home in Northwest Roanoke to pick up his and Sabrina's 7-year-old daughter, Asjah, for the usual visitation.

On Sept. 2, 2005, Sabrina Reed's fears were realized.

Robert Reed, 39, picked up his daughter, drove off in his truck but then returned.

He went inside the house and fatally shot his 34-year-old wife in the head as she sat at the kitchen table and mortally wounded her stepfather.

More than two years later, a place that bears Sabrina Reed's name provides a more secure environment for estranged couples to handle custody issues.

On Friday, Total Action Against Poverty and the city of Roanoke held a grand opening for a safe haven for domestic violence victims to bring their children for court-ordered supervised visitation. It also serves as a neutral exchange point for parents picking up children for visitation.

In honor of Reed, the small, brown, brick-front building at 339 Luck Ave. in downtown Roanoke will be called "Sabrina's Place."

The center is the only one of its kind in the region and the only one in Virginia funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, said TAP program director Annette Lewis.

"It really means a lot," said Sabrina Reed's sister, Carla Price, 31. "This has torn apart a lot of people," she said of Reed's death. The tragedy jolted the community into action to rescue victims from the cowardice of domestic violence.

"It's good to see something come of this," Price added.

I never knew Sabrina Reed, but I recall the imprint her untimely death left on this community.

The tragedy pushed Roanokers to do something about the domestic violence that had claimed the lives of 12 women during a 20-month period from 2004 to 2006.

"What was supposed to be a simple exchange ended up being the last day of Sabrina's life, and I don't want that for anybody," said Pamela Forrest-Hurt, who sits on the center's advisory board. She thought of the name Sabrina's Place.

Forrest-Hurt also served on the task force that came up with the idea of the center. Roanoke and TAP received a $350,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Violence Against Women.

The center is open Wednesday through Sunday, said program coordinator Sammi Rader.

It is available to families in the 23rd Judicial District -- Roanoke, Roanoke Country and Salem.

The courts refer most participants to the program, though referrals also come through social service agencies and lawyers, Rader said.

Once she gets a referral, the coordinator interviews the child, the visiting and the custodial parent each separately to determine the reasons behind the referral and the nature of the relationship.

After that, she invites the custodial parent in with the child to meet the staff member who will monitor the parental visits.

Rader also gives the parent and child a tour of the building so they will be comfortable. The time between the referral and the first visit is about two weeks, she said.

One-hour, weekly visits are offered at a maximum of $20 an hour. Child exchange services cost no more than $10.

Rader said the fees are used to buy snacks for families using the center.

The visiting parent is responsible for the cost, which is based on income.

Off-duty police officers are in the building for security.

Currently, Rader said, 32 adults and children have supervised visits at the center.

No one has used the site yet as a drop-off or pickup point for visitation.

The building's rooms have the playfulness of a children's center. Stuffed animals of all shapes, sizes and colors lie about. Board games for older children lie in a playpen in one room, and children's videos line the shelves of a bookstand in another.

A microwave and a refrigerator are available for the boxes of snacks. Everything, including furniture, was donated.

"This is a dream come true, and it certainly opens up an opportunity that we did not have in this community before," Roanoke City Manager Darlene Burcham said during Friday's grand opening.

The most touching moment of the brief ceremony, however, came when the sign with the center name on it was unveiled, and sitting next to it was a portrait of a smiling Sabrina Reed.

Her daughter, now 9, began weeping as she buried her face in the side of Price, who is raising her. Other members of the family quietly wept.

Price, who lives in Bowie, Md., made a plea after the ceremony that the community continue to fund the center when the grant runs out in two years.

She didn't explicitly say it, but her intent was clear: Don't let her sister's death be in vain.

For help with domestic violence, call Total Action Against Poverty's hotline at (540) 580-0775.

Shanna Flowers' column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.