We at Code 3 Spices need to spotlight another person that flies under the radar while giving back to the community. To start off Hero week, we start with Jennie Hill from Georgia.
She considers herself to be an ordinary person, but for those of us in the know, she’s a powerhouse behind some very big movements. Growing up overseas in Haiti, Mexico & the Dominican Republic, she was able to spend time in Cuba, Honduras, & Costa Rica before she even began college. Graduating from Penn State, she searched for a direction to go with her professional career.
Fate intervened in the fall of 2004 when she was held up in a bank robbery while living in Maryland. Showing her fortitude (or attitude), she asked the perp if he was actually serious during the hold up. One of the FBI agents and a responding officer said it was probably time for her to seek a career in Law Enforcement. Beginning an internship at the local police department turned into a full-time recruitment for a police department in Maryland. Four years later she moved back to Georgia to be near family, accepting a job with another police department and opted into doing another six-month academy. She knew she had found her passion and loved everything about protecting & serving the community.
In 2011, while clearing a house on a burg alarm, Jennie fell down a flight of stairs, tearing her shoulder and sustaining a head injury. The injuries were substantial that it caused her to be hospitalized for almost two weeks. There was no feeling on her right side, and she had suffered short term memory loss. It took Jennie almost a year to fully recover physically; emotionally it would take much longer. After a lengthy legal battle due to the injuries and a forced resignation, it ended mostly a positive note for her and her family as she retired.
Somehow, she reconnected with the love of her life, John, after 19 years. They have 2 of the most precious children conceived through an exceedingly difficult infertility journey. They started two tiny businesses, one helping individuals be able to work from home, and the other a monogramming business. She also works part-time as a scheduler on the weekends for a home healthcare company and a Driver’s Education teacher. As if this was not enough, she volunteers as a peer advocate for Serve & Protect and advocates for injured officers as the peer support team lead for The Wounded Blue. She feels that it’s an honor to make sure our wounded are never forgotten, never alone.
Help us congratulate Jennie Hill for all that she does to help first responders, mentally and physically!
