- February 8, 2025
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Saturday morning may have seemed like a regular track meet at Spruce Creek High, but, for the people there, the event had a deeper meaning.
On Saturday, Sept. 2, young children and high school students and grandparents came to Spruce Creek's track to walk and run in memory of 14-year-old Savanna Mohney and her brother, 11-year-old David Mohney.
The brother and sister had been shot and killed by their father at their Port Orange home three years ago on Oct. 17, 2014. The father then shot and killed himself.
The day before the tragedy, Savanna had run her fastest two miles at Spruce Creek with a time of 13 minutes, 12 seconds.
Now, every year, the Savanna and David Mohney Community 5K and Tribute Walk takes place to remember the Mohneys and raise funds for victims of domestic violence.
The event took place at the Spruce Creek High cross country course, while the tribute walk brought participants around the track for 13 minutes, 12 seconds — a way to commemorate Savanna's fastest two-mile time.
A girls high school race and boys high school race were held before the open community race and tribute walk, which took place at 8:30 a.m.
Donations from the event went to the Volusia County Domestic Abuse Council and Savanna's cross country team at Spruce Creek High, according to coach Scott Kirschner, who coached Savanna on the cross country team.
"It's a good day, but it's an emotional day," Kirschner said. "It kind of brings back all of that again."
For many of the event's participants, the walk and races were a way to reflect, and to remember Savanna, who would have been a senior this year, and David, who would have been a freshman.
"We came out because we just wanted to pay tribute to Savanna and her brother," Manuela Pollard, who participated with family, said. "Just come and show my son a little bit of community service and how you give back to others."
Some participants had a closer connection to the sister and brother. Ed Meadows, a PE teacher at Creekside Middle School, had been one of Savanna's teachers. He and his wife, Karen, had participated in the walk around the track and been a part of the memorial event before this year as well.
"We just wanted to honor her and honor her family and just support the cause," Karen Meadows said, pointing out the pictures of Savanna and her brother that lined the track. "It's always emotional — it makes it more real. It was a tragedy what happened to their family."
Email Nichole Osinski at [email protected].
