FLORIDA ( KLFY ) — A 15-year-old boy in Florida ran one mile Saturday in honor of Lafayette Sr. Cpl. Segus Jolivette, who was killed Thursday in an hours-long hostage standoff in Jeanerette.

Zechariah Cartledge has raised more than $1 million in grants through his organization, Running for Heroes , to support injured first responders and families of those who have died in the line of duty. Cartledge said he hopes honoring the fallen officer can bring a smile to those who are grieving.

“I’m very blessed to be in the situation that I am,” Cartledge said. “I’m glad to be in the position to help out families through the hardest times and hopefully this run helps out Cpl. Segus, Segus’ family, and his department.

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Cartledge said his love for running grew after getting the idea to start honoring fallen heroes. From there, his non-profit organization was created.

“I’ve done it over 1800 times since 2019,” Cartledge said. “Each run we try to keep it original because we know it’s a different family watching and probably a lot more people that have never heard about me because it hit close to them.”

He encourages children of all ages to never be afraid to set their goals high.

“It’s important for kids to express their feelings and express what they support,” Cartledge said.

“Anybody can start anything if they put their mind to it, hopefully stories like mine can also help them out if they have a passion for something,” he continued.

The blue flag used in the run will be sent to Sr. Cpl. Jolivette’s family, as well as a handwritten note, thanking him for his service.

Running 4 Hereos is accepting applications for runners.

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