Chestnut Branch Park in Mantua hosted the third annual Casey Power Memorial 5K walk – sponsored and run by the Casey Power Foundation – on April 6 to raise awareness of domestic violence and to raise money for its.
About 200 people signed up for the event, according to foundation founder Maryanne Power. Purple T-shirts were worn with the foundation’s logo and the words “I love you Mommy” written on the back.
The proceeds will also fund teaching scholarships for both Washington Township and Clearview Regional high schools. Casey Power went to elementary and middle school at the former and attended high school at the latter.
The run and foundation are named after for Power’s daughter, a domestic violence victim who was murdered three years ago by her ex-fiancé, who then took his own life. Casey Power left behind a 4-year old son, Bentley, who was at the run.
“It’s been three years since that event and two years since the foundation’s founding,” Maryanne Power recalled. “The event helps us keep Casey’s memory alive. It was my youngest daughter, Alice, who suggested we do a walk.”
“We help state police, with money raised from it (the 5K) going toward a domestic violence unit. We give to a foundation that helps women suffering from domestic violence.”
The Mantua committee also attended the 5K, and Mayor Robert Zimmerman spoke.
“The township committee and I wholeheartedly support the Casey Power Foundation and Casey’s mother, Maryanne, in their efforts to spread awareness of domestic violence,” he said. “Casey, a 2014 graduate of Clearview and Mantua resident, tragically fell victim to domestic gun violence.
“As a former police chief, I spent a career witnessing first hand some very horrific cases of domestic abuse,” Zimmerman added. “We have no tolerance for this, and will do whatever we can for the Power family.”
Maryanne Power would later offer her gratitude to the township and the committee for their help in organize the event.
“We’re fortunate that Mantua allows us to use the park,” Power noted. “Mantua’s great. If we can just help one person, you just never know whose live you’re affecting.”
