Benefiting asthma awareness and education and remembering a friend are goals of an upcoming 5K. 

Run 4 Jen was started to honor Jennifer Shaw Suhr who died in December 2000 as a result of an asthma attack. Jennifer was a wife and mother, a member of Phi Mu sorority and graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 1992. 

One of the organizers of the 5K, Julie Shaw said this is the 9th annual Run 4 Jen. 

“It’s for asthma awareness,” Shaw said. “Jennifer passed away of an asthma attack when she was 30. So we are just trying to prevent others from suffering from asthma and so people understand that it is serious and that you need to take precautions so that this doesn’t happen to you.” 

Proceeds from the event benefit asthma awareness and education through the KU University Asthma Center and the respiratory unit at St. Francis Hospital in Maryville. 

“By planning and participating in the upcoming event, those of us who knew Jennifer have the opportunity to reminisce about the special times we had with her and that keeps her spirit alive,” Shaw said. “And we also have the ability to raise awareness and educate others on how deadly this disease can be.” 

The Jennifer Shaw Suhr memorial 5k run/walk takes place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Raymond J. Courter College Park Pavilion on the Northwest Missouri State University Campus in Maryville. 

For more information and to sign up, go to runforjen.com or call Julie Shaw at (816) 591-0788.