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ATHENS-Mayor Ronnie Marks has designated Sept. 23, 2013, as Meningitis Awareness Day in the City of
Athens. With him are Talbot Elkins, holding a photo of his daughter Jessica Elkins, Jessica’s brother Michael Elkins, and Jessica’s mother Michelle Elkins. Not pictured is Jessica’s sister Emilee.
ATHENS-Mayor Ronnie Marks has designated Sept. 23, 2013, as Meningitis Awareness Day in the City of
Athens. With him are Talbot Elkins, holding a photo of his daughter Jessica Elkins, Jessica’s brother Michael Elkins, and Jessica’s mother Michelle Elkins. Not pictured is Jessica’s sister Emilee.On Dec. 26, 2007, Jessica was a freshman at Athens High School when she died from meningitis. Sept. 23 would have been her 21st birthday.

Talbot Elkins holding a photo of his daughter Jessica
Since Jessica’s death, her family and friends have held two free meningitis vaccination clinics in Athens and have supported a scholarship in her memory for an Athens High senior. The family will have a booth at the Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention on Oct. 4-5 to hand out educational material on meningitis.
To find out more, visit The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s meningitis page at www.cdc.gov/meningitis/ index.html.
