‘Savannah Strong’ 5K Color Run And Festival Honors Memory Of Beloved High School Student

SHANNON, MISS. (WCBI) – The memory and legacy of a Shannon High School student who passed away last year is honored with a  5K that will provide scholarships for graduating seniors.

The Media Center at Shannon High School was filled with students using their free period to work on a special project.

They were working on posters for an event  called the “Savannah Strong Color Run.”  The 5 K is being held in memory of Savannah Williams.  The 16 year old was a student at Shannon High School, and played on the varsity softball team her Dad Phillip coached.   In the spring of 2017, Savannah was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension.  She passed away in May of last year.  The name of the 5 K is a reference to Savannah’s faith.

“We say Savannah Strong, but she got her strength from the Lord and I learned so much from her as a mother. I try to remember how she was and how she would want us to be, to help others,” said her mother, Sonya Williams.

That is why proceeds from the event will fund two scholarships for graduating Shannon High School seniors.

“She loved Shannon, she had this saying, ‘Once a Raider, always a Raider, she loved her friends,” said Phillip Williams, Savannah’s Dad.

Savannah’s teachers, BETA Club sponsors and friends have been working hard on the 5K, they say what started as one small event has quickly grown, as more people who knew Savannah, wanted to get involved.

“Then we had several come to us and say, hey, I would like to set up a booth, before or after and sell hamburgers, hotdogs,  then, it was, can I set up a booth and sell something, donate proceeds back to scholarship,” said Vicki Crumpton, one of the Beta Club Sponsors.

Family and friends say the 5 K is a great way to honor the memory of a young lady who had a zest for life, even when facing tough challenges.

“She had wanted to be a math teacher, when she went to kindergarten she knew how to read and write and I encouraged her to help others and all of her teachers said that she did that in every class, helped those that needed help,” said Savannah’s mother, Sonya.

“I’ve applied for the scholarship, you have to write a two page essay, what it means to be Savannah Strong,  for me that was not only for Savannah, but for everybody, because if you gave hope to Savannah, she gave hope to you,” said longtime friend and Shannon High School Senior Maggie Waldo.

The Savannah Strong Color Run takes place Saturday March 23rd, at the Shannon City Park.  It all starts at ten and goes through the afternoon.  To register online, go to; secure.getactivefundraising.com