Karina Vetrano, the Howard Beach jogger who was senselessly murdered in August of last year, was a member of Archbishop Molloy High School’s first co-ed graduating class in 2004.
Now, the Briarwood school plans to celebrate and honor her life later this year with a vigil and relay walk/run event on the campus this June.
The vigil and relay event will begin on Friday, June 23, at 8 p.m. and continue into the next morning. On Saturday, June 24, a Memorial Mass will be held for Vetrano at 10 a.m., and breakfast will follow.
At the conclusion of the event, the Marist brothers will dedicate a permanent memorial at the school to celebrate and remember Vetrano’s life. All planned activities will take place on the school grounds at 83-53 Manton St.
“Karina’s family and friends instilled in her a love for creative writing, poetry, running and physical fitness,” said Richard Karsten, Archbishop Molloy High School president. “During her days spent at Archbishop Molloy High School, Karina’s interests continued to grow and flourish with the support of her classmates, teachers and teammates, many of whom became lifelong friends. She is part of the fabric of our school and will forever be remembered as a member of our Molloy family.”
The school is also raising funds to create the Karina Vetrano Memorial Scholarship Fund, which will provide scholarships for deserving young women who are entering Molloy.
“On behalf of our family, I want to thank everyone that has supported us since the beginning,” said Phil Vetrano, Karina’s father, in a statement. “With this June event and the potential for Karina’s scholarship, finally some good can come out of this tragedy.”
Those interested in signing up for the June memorial event, or donating to the Karina Vetrano Memorial Scholarship Fund, are encouraged to visit www.molloyhs.org/karina or call the Archbishop Molloy High School Alumni Center at 718-441-9210.
