N. Ga. woman honors husband by running for National Guard

LULA, Ga. — A north Georgia woman is busy raising tens of thousands of dollars to help Georgia soldiers and their families.

Shannon Jenrette has her hands full. She's raising three children, and she's in the final week of preparing for a big charity run.

It's a run that starts in Lula, Ga., for her late husband, Maj. Kevin Jenrette.

"He was killed June 4, 2009. Would've celebrated 10-year anniversary July 3, 2009," Jenrette told Channel 2's John Bachman.

They used to celebrate their anniversary by running in the Peachtree Road Race on Independence Day. Instead, Maj. Jenrette died fighting in Afghanistan.

"He never put himself first, he was always thinking of others and what he could do to help somebody out," Jenrette says.

Running was their shared hobby. So Shannon Jenrette started the Some Gave All 5K run and walk.

"It's not only to honor my husband, but all the other men and women who have given their all for our freedom," she said.

In the first three years, the Some Gave All 5k raised $50,000 for soldiers and their families, like Army Spc. Ben Morris.

Morris fell behind on rent and just about everything else when his wife got very sick.

"It was getting pretty bad," Morris said. "We're brothers till the end."

The National Guard Family Support Foundation stepped in to buy groceries and gas for the daily trips to the hospital.

"I don't feel abandoned. I feel like they were there for us in our time of need. We're very thankful," Morris said.

For Shannon, supporting fellow guard families like the Morrises, well, that's what her husband would've done.

"So in a way it's kind of like he's still giving back to them," Jenrette said.

More than 400 people are already signed up for Saturday's Some Gave All 5K. However, it isn't too late to register.

For $30, you can go to Lula in Hall County to run for Maj. Jenrette.

WSBTV