GREENVILLE – The inaugural Jeff Jenkinson Memorial Tournament was a resounding success, thanks to the support of players, sponsors, donors, volunteers, and a caring community.
“I knew Jeff always wanted to help people if he could,” said Corey Jenkinson. “Several people came up to me at his viewing and said he had helped them at one point or another. He was good about not telling anybody, he just wanted to do it, so I want to carry that on.”
Jeff passed away unexpectedly in March of 2024. While living, Jeff made a large impact on so many people he encountered every day. His impact was felt by his family, friends who became like family, co-workers, athletic supporters, and community members. Since his passing, the Jeff Jenkinson Scholarship Foundation has been established. The purpose of the foundation is to honor Jeff’s legacy by awarding annual scholarships and supporting the local youth and community in the Greenville and St. Henry areas.
“This is the first annual tournament, but this year we donated $1000 to a student in St. Henry and one in Greenville, and we want to build on that,” said Jenkinson. “It’s in Jeff’s name, but it’s the community. We have a lot of good people and businesses in this community – it is very appreciated.”
The first two Jeff Jenkinson Memorial Scholarships went to St. Henry’s Eva Schmitz and Greenville’s Callee Morre.
Schmitz was a member of the golf, basketball, and track teams, as well as participating in multiple clubs at St. Henry. She was also a member of the National Honor Society. Eva will be attending Bowling Green State University to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education.
Morre participated in golf, dance, orchestra, Children’s With Careers, Garden Club, FCCLA, and NTHS during her time at GHS. Callee will be attending Mississippi State University to major in Human Development and Family Sciences.
The first of what will be the Annual Jeff Jenkinson Memorial Tournaments was a smashing success, with the field of golfers filling up within a few hours of the golf tournament announcement.
“We knew we would probably have a good turnout,” Jenkinson noted. “We were full with five-man teams within six hours of posting it.”
Corey took time to thank the many volunteers and family members who helped make the event a successful day.
“I want to thank my family and all our friends,” Jenkinson said. “Everybody had a hand in this; it wasn’t just me, it wasn’t the five committee members, it was the entire community and people coming out.”
An added bonus on the day was seeing two old friends, Waldo Jenkinson and Jim Buchy, sharing time while the teams golfed on the White Springs course.
“Those two, I’m sure that was a pretty good conversation,” Corey said. “I would love to be a fly on the wall in that conversation. Two wonderful, really good guys. Jim Buchy is a guy I have always respected; he’s not only a neighbor but a friend. You talk about a guy that is good for the community, that’s it.”
