SYLVANIA (WTOL) - Area runners and others united on Saturday in Sylvania in the name of a young murder victim.
The Spirit of Sierah Joughin 5K raised money to keep kids safe.
Sierah loved to be active in her community.
One of her favorite pastimes was participating in fun races with her family.
Five hundred runners battled cold, wind and rain in a 5K honoring the memory of Sierah.
“I think it’s a really good cause and I’m glad to be here,” said runner Brooke Tullis.
Cam McNamee agreed.
“A lot of good people out here and that’s why I’m here,” said McNamee.
Everybody is familiar with Sierah’s tragic story.
The body of the twenty year old University of Toledo student was found in a shallow grave in 2016 in a cornfield near Delta.
Her killer is now on death row.
“We’ll see how many kids we get through today and then we’re hoping to offer service to schools and organizations,” said Sierah’s mom Shelia Vaculik, one of the founders of ‘Justice for Sierah.’
Money raised at the 5K will pay for a $5,000 kids identification kit the organization purchased.
The kits make cards featuring a photo of your child, their fingerprint and vital information such as height and weight.
That way if a youngster goes missing a card will make it easier for authorities to locate them.
Denise Williams got cards for her two daughters Delaney and Ashlyn.
“I think anytime, especially when they’re not with their parents either at schools, playground, anywhere, always worried about them,” said Denise.
Ms. Vaculik says Sierah had a similar card from childhood that helped authorities ID her after she went missing.
“When I look back at everything that I did have I just wanted to make sure that other parents have the same things and I do think fingerprint identification is very important,” said Denise.
Important and possibly lifesaving.
