BY KATHY BARATTA
Staff Writer
MANALAPAN – When Carlee Wines was killed by a hit-and-run driver on the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs earlier this year, the Manalapan resident left behind family and friends who are determined to make sure her memory is honored.
They are determined to remind people that although Wines’ life was cut short during her freshman year at college, it will be remembered as a life well-lived.
That is why these same friends, family members and inspired well-wishers will get together on June 3 to host an event that is planned as an annual celebration of Wines’ life and also as a continuing means to raise funds to sustain a scholarship established in her name.
According to Manalapan High School Principal Anthony G. Procopio, the first Carlee A. Wines Memorial 5-Mile Run/Walk seemed a fitting tribute as Wines was a trained runner who participated in the Spring Lake 5-mile run last spring.
Hundreds of people are expected to gather at Wines’ alma mater, Manalapan High School, Church Lane, on June 3 to participate in the walk/run to honor Carlee and all the joy she brought to so many lives, Procopio said.
Registration will begin at 8 a.m. The race will end on the high school track where there will be refreshments, raffles and music provided by New Jersey 101.5 FM.
Proceeds from the event will go the Carlee A. Wines Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship is to be awarded to “a student who embodies the leadership, character and energy that Carlee possessed,” Procopio said.
“With this race, Carlee’s friends and family hope to emulate her character by turning this tragedy into something positive. Carlee was an energetic young woman who was always helping others. No matter how big or small the task, she was always there. Although the race won’t bring her back, Carlee’s friends believe she will be running with them,” the principal said.
Felony and misdemeanor charges have been brought against five individuals, four of whom attended UConn but were not acquainted with Wines before the Jan. 20 hit-and-run incident which resulted in their arrests for their actions on the night Wines was struck.
Anthony Alvino, 18, of Lindenhurst, N.Y., has been charged by police with being the driver of the 2004 Nissan Armada witnesses say struck Wines and sped away. Alvino was not a student at UConn.
Police allege that Alvino was at the UConn campus that evening with his girlfriend, Michelle Hall, 18, of Wantagh, N.Y. Hall was a UConn student at the time of the accident. Police allege Hall was in the vehicle when it struck Wines and she has also been charged in the matter.
Also charged with various offenses as a result of their actions on the evening of the accident were Kara Satalin, 18, of Syracuse, N.Y., Kenneth Rusterholz, 21, of Trumbull, Conn., and Matthew Gallo, 20, of Freehold Township.
Wines was struck in the early morning hours of Jan. 20 as she was crossing a street on the UConn campus. She died of her injuries two days later.
For more information on the Carlee A. Wines Memorial 5-Mile Run/Walk or to register, visit www.carleewines.org or call Louise Dellasala at Manalapan High School, (732) 792-7200 ext. 8324.