First Shea Hutchinson Memorial Walk Hosted to Raise Awareness And Funds For Athletic Scholarships
Jarrod Zinn
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – A memorial event took place at Waller Park in Santa Maria for a Central Coast real estate agent and loyal Denver Broncos fan.
Friends and associates of the late Shea Hutchinson were decked out in Denver Broncos gear to remember their colleague, a loyal fan of the team.
“I first met Shea when I started at the association, and we had to take a trip down to L.A,” says Karin Van Lith, a member of the Santa Maria Association of Realtors. “I was really worried about, what do you talk to someone you’re just meeting, for 4 hours? And he had a radio, a football station on the radio. Football. That was it.”
Shea made significant connections to the Santa Maria community, and served several terms as president of the Santa Maria Association of Realtors.
“Us as realtors, we have a tight knit community,” says Cliff Rhea, friend to Shea and former president of Santa Maria Association Of Realtors. “We all work together, and we make a living at this, and we do help everyone. You know, homeownership is our ultimate goal.”
The inaugural ‘Shea Hutchinson Memorial Walk’ brought people together for a family and pet friendly walk through the park, followed by a barbecue.
“This is our first inaugural event for one of our own that took his own life from a little bit of mental health issues that couldn’t get resolved, unfortunately,” says Rhea.
Funds are being directly raised by this event in Shea’s memory for a scholarship fund to be awarded to Santa Maria area high school athletes.
“When we had the sad time of losing Shea, sports being his primary love, we thought the best way to remember him was to start a scholarship,” says Van Lith.
Those who knew Shea well gathered at Waller Park’s Lakeside Picnic Terrace to break bread, share stories of their late friend and raise suicide awareness as much as scholarship funds.
The Latest Breaking News, Weather Alerts, Sports and More Anytime On Our Mobile Apps. Keep Up With The Latest Articles by Signing Up for the News Channel 3-12 Newsletter.