400 gather for festival in honor of slain teen

Nearly 400 people participated in a mile walk and 5k run to support the Jackie Hartman Memorial Foundation Saturday at Freestone Park. The Jackie Hartman Memorial Foundation Community Spirit Celebration was an occasion to give thanks to the community for its efforts in assisting the search for Hartman, the 19-year-old woman who went missing in January 2007 and found dead a month later. It's to celebrate the community," said Hartman's father, David. "It's not about us, it's about them, to thank them." He wore a bright pink Jackie Hartman Memorial shirt as he ran around the event making, sure everything was in order. Her family is still thankful for the public support." A lot of us participated in searching for Jackie and the experience changed us and a lot of us wanted to celebrate her spirit," said Karen Nolan, part of the committee that helped set up the event. It was a brisk and cloudy morning with damp grounds, but the pink and white balloons scattered around the event remained true to the welcoming mood among participants and volunteers. Organizers were expecting about 700 but attribute the lowered participation to the bad weather. Once the race was over, participants headed over to the lunch and entertainment area. "The race was a lot of fun, the people were friendly," said Steve Brietweiser from Awahtukee. He added that the event was a good cause and that he would come back another year if the event continued. The memorial foundation held a raffle with more than $12,000 in donations of cash and prizes. The money raised is going to the Jackie Hartman Memorial Foundation to provide nursing scholarships and to aid families searching for missing young adults, said Kelly Bennett, a member of the board of directors for the foundation. The foundation is in the process of choosing the first nursing scholarship recipient.  Foundation officials chose Freestone Park for the event because it was near where Jackie lived and Gilbert residents stepped up to help the cause, Bennett said. "I think it's absolutely overwhelming and amazing," Bennett said. "It's the feeling of a small town again."