Mehovic Fundraisers Help Raise Thousands

The murder of Saudina Mehovic at the hands of her ex-husband during a horrific murder-suicide last weekend left their 14- and 16-year-old sons without parents and searching for answers.

Led by a group of friends from Southington High School, members from throughout the community are determined to make sure the boys still have a future.

Thousands of residents from across the state came together at on Queen Street Saturday afternoon to show their support, helping to raise thousands of dollars for the Mehovic Family Fund, a trust fund set up in the boys’ names.

Paired with a pasta supper at Southington High School that saw more than 800 guests and raised $15,000 Friday night, Eli Grenier and Nick Ingel said they surpassed any goals they had going in.

“When we first started everything, the only real goal was to help out [our friends] as much as possible and to get the biggest turnout possible,” Ingel said. “It’s been great to see and it’s made a difference and really helped [the Mehovic boys] try and move on.”

The turnout couldn’t have been any bigger. By 4 p.m., over 1,500 sales had been made with 100 percent of the profits going to support the fund, staff said. In addition, the two events saw donations from more than 40 area businesses.

The Mehovic boys’ attended each fundraiser and were seen surrounded with support, with friends and members of the community bringing a smile to their faces on many occasions. The boys have shied away from media as they continue to grieve the deaths of both parents.

“Being a parent and just knowing what those kids had to witness, your heart really goes out to them,” said Sharon Rainey, who took her whole family to Rita’s Saturday. “The way this community has come together is just admirable. Southington has shown it will take care of it’s own. When you hear a term like no child left behind, this community really means it.”

It wasn’t just those coming for an Italian ice or gelato that helped out either. Several Rita’s employees made personal donations and the company made a last-minute announcement to give everything they could to the effort said employee Katie Baumgardner.

“We do a lot of fundraisers and our standard is usually to give 10 percent, but this isn’t a normal situation,” Baumgardner said. “We really just wanted to do everything we could for these kids and we made a decision this morning to give everything to the fund.”

Others who were unable to attend have shared their support on Facebook and contributed in other ways, including making donations by writing checks to the fund.

Those interested in making a donation can make checks payable to The Haris and Emir Mehovic Family Trust and send them to either People’s Bank location in Southington.

In addition, businesses have stepped up to support the boys with additional fundraisers of their own. American Gymnastics will donate all the proceeds from their gymnastics play day on Saturday, June 25, to the fund, Shooter’s Billiards and Arcade will host a fundraiser on Sunday, June 26, from noon to 3 p.m., and Applebees will host a pancake breakfast on Sunday, July 10.

Click on the links above to learn more about each fundraiser.

David Perez, who helped organize the pasta dinner and Rita’s event along with his son and the oldest Mehovi boy’s friend Ryan Perez, said he was amazed by the way everyone has stepped up in one way or another to help out.

“It may have started with just four boys on Facebook, but this has truly grown into a communitywide effort to support these boys. It’s amazing to see the way everyone has come out in support of these children,” Perez said.