A nonprofit dedicated to domestic violence awareness will host its annual 5K walk/run beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, at Chestnut Branch Park.
The Casey Power Foundation’s event is held in memory of Casey Power, who was murdered by her partner in 2021 and has a surviving son, Bentley. The foundation’s motto is, “Your future is calling … never look back.”
“We decided to keep her memory alive through the foundation,” said Casey’s mother, Maryanne. “We raise money for domestic violence victims and to the state police’s domestic violence unit.”
The 5K helps fund direct aid to domestic violence victims, and some of its proceeds will be used to establish scholarships to Clearview Regional and Washington Township high schools, both of which Casey attended.
The foundation expects about 200 people for the race, according to Power, based on numbers from previous years. The domestic violence awareness organization Igniting Hope will also be represented, and Bentley, now 8, will be there as well.
“He’s always been at the event,” Power noted. “It helps him, seeing everyone there in support of mommy. It’s a happy day for him.”
The Casey Power Foundation also gets help from the Mantua committee and the township’s director of parks, Scott Hellerman.
“Mantua has been very supportive,” Power explained. “They’ve been there for us, and it’s awesome to see. We try to return the favor by helping out the (Chestnut Branch) park’s butterfly garden.”
The butterfly is a symbol of the foundation, so Casey’s family hopes to put a bench dedicated to her near the butterfly garden.
Participants can register for the 5K on the Casey Power Foundation’s website, and day-of registrations will be available. Runners and walkers are required to fill out a waiver that can also be found on the foundation website.
“She would be so happy to see all these people coming together,” Power stated of her daughter, who was 25 when she died. “She loved life and was the easiest-going person, and the sweetest. She was never out for attention. She has a big smile looking down at us.”
