Injured Milford Police Officer receives $10,000 grant from 12-year-old boy

MILFORD, Del.- With a passion for running and helping first responders,  Zechariah Cartledge, is raising money for Senior Corporal TJ Webb from the Milford Police Department.

Corporal Webb was shot while issuing a warrant in Rehoboth last year.

Cartledge said he wanted to give this grant to Corporal Webb because he has such an inspiring story and admires his dedication.

“First of all that he was a 13 year veteran, 2020 officer of the year, and the fact that he had a life saving moment,” Cartledge, the founder of Running 4 Heroes, said.

Cartledge said he officially started his non-profit Running 4 Heroes in 2019 in his home state of Florida.

“I run a mile every single time an officer or firefighter loses their life in the line of duty and I’ve done 850 in the last two years,” Cartledge said.

But Cartledge doesn’t stop there, since last January he started having enough donations to give monthly grants to injured responders and started making trips throughout the country to hand them out.

“Whatever they are struggling with or whatever they just want to use it on we let them use it on whatever they want to keep them comfortable,” Cartledge said.

Senior Corporal Timothy Maloney with the Milford Police Department said he thinks it’s phenomenal that Cartledge found out about Corporal Webb’s story from Florida.

“For him to be able to hear about TJ’s story and decide that that was somebody he wanted to support is just great,” Maloney said.

And while Corporal Webb was just one of the many that Cartledge has helped so far, he hopes to continue expanding his non-profit as he learns he’s helping others.

“I know it’s inspiring the whole entire nation around me so that’s really cool to think about,” Cartledge said.

Cartledge said so far he has given over 115 thousand dollars to 16 different injured first responders, and if you’re wondering if Cartledge plans to be a first responder he is actually in flight school right now to be a pilot.