Madison County Sheriff's office wishes Zechariah Cartledge a happy birthday
JACKSON, TN (WNBJ)-
Members of the Madison County sheriff's department gathered and broke out in song today to honor 13-year-old Zechariah Cartledge, a boy from Florida who created a non-profit called "running 4 heroes". Zechariah runs one mile for every first responder who lost their lives in the line of duty. His passion is to honor those that have given the ultimate sacrifice. He also hopes to raise awareness and money for the families of the fallen first responders.
When Zechariah ran to pay homage to Madison County deputy terry dyer in may he talked with 39 news about his passion, “I started to learn more about 9/11, watched some documentaries with my parents, and that kind of inspired me to learn more about first responders and how much they dedicate towards their community. That kind of started my passion to do something I love, which is running to help people I loved, which is first responders."
At the birthday celebration, the Madison County sheriff's department celebrated by sharing some doubletree cookies, Zechariah's favorite.
“He will love those cookies and it will give him more energy to run,” says Lieutenant Cleveland Davis) Madison county sheriffs office. He explains why the sheriff's department went out of its way to honor this young man so many states away, “we appreciate his efforts, we appreciate his diligence and we employ him to continue on.”
The boy who runs for fallen and injured first responders has also touched the heart of Mary Ross from the doubletree, “He's an amazing kid, he's very dedicated.”
Ross joined with the madison county sheriff's department to send Zecharia this special birthday wish from his admirers in Tennessee
“I thought with us being able to send it to him to start his day off with a bang from madison county Tennessee. Would just bring him a lot of joy knowing that we’re thinking about him,” says Mary Ross.
Lieutenant Davis hopes that others will learn from Zechariah's unselfish example, “Many people are looking for a mentor. Zecharia is the one who can be that mentor for the people that want to step out and take that challenge.”
You can find more information about Zecheria’s mission at running4heros.org
