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Jenny Melton’s legacy lives on through events,
scholarships
By Pamela A. Keene
 On
the Saturday of Father’s Day Weekend for the past seven years,
runners have gathered for the Jenny Melton 5K Father’s Day Run,
which raises money for the Jenny Melton Foundation.
The vivacious high school senior was killed in a
single-car accident in March 2002 on her way to school, and the
community has rallied to keep her vision alive. The 2008 run
attracted nearly 300 participants, the largest crowd ever.
“Jenny was a pretty special girl,” said her father
Butch Melton. “She had applied to Duke University, was homecoming
queen at West Hall High School, an honor student, a member of the
National Beta Club and National Honor Society. She also was active
in five area churches and tutored students. All she wanted to do was
go to college, so we created the Jenny Melton Foundation so that we
could award scholarships in her memory.”
The foundation is associated with the North Georgia
Community Foundation in Gainesville. Established in 2002 in Jenny’s
memory, the foundation awards three $2,500 scholarships to full-time
graduating high school seniors at West Hall High School and Flowery
Branch High School and a fourth scholarship is available for
children of members of International Association of Expositions and
Events Atlanta SE Chapter who are graduating high school seniors.
Melton is an active member of the trade show organization.
IAEE Atlanta Southeastern Chapter supports the Jenny
Melton Foundation with an annual golf tournament. Now in its sixth
year, the event is scheduled for Monday, September 15, at Stone
Mountain Park’s Stonemont Course. The group is still seeking
sponsors, door prizes and players. The players fee is $130 and
includes golf, range balls, cart, beverage tickets, and reception.
Information is available through the IAEE website at
http://iaeese.org or by calling Melton at 770-967-9379.
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