Benefit race raises money to help orphaned family

Wednesday, April 6, 2005 | 9:01 a.m.

A benefit race over the weekend raised more than $2,000 for a family of seven Clark County students left orphaned by the sudden deaths of their parents just two weeks apart.

Tony Kyriacou, track coach at VoTech High School and organizer of the benefit race, said Tuesday that donations are still coming in for the Hartwell family.

Mike Hartwell, a VoTech junior and member of the school's track team, and his six younger siblings lost their father shortly after Christmas and their mother died two weeks later. The family was evicted from its subsidized housing and split up among various relatives in the area.

Kyriacou organized the 5k race on VoTech's cross-country course in an effort to help the family.

More than 150 people participated in the race, with runners coming from seven states, including Texas and Illinois, Kyriacou said. Additionally the organizer of an upcoming triatholon at Lake Mead has pledged a portion of that event's proceeds for the family, Kyriacou said.

The winner of the men's division was David Olshan with a time of 17 minutes, 10 seconds. The women's division winner was Yolanda Chee, with a time of 21 minutes, 36 seconds. Mike Hartwell, who made All-State in track, accompanied stroke survivor Carlos Ramirez through the course, with the pair finishing in one hour, 11 minutes and 49 seconds.