By Sherri Blevins
Selfless, giving, dedicated, servant-like, etc. All these adjectives and many more can be used to describe Ginny Jenkins, a local teacher and photographer, well known by hundreds of parents who have had children participate in sporting activities. Mountain Valley News would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms. Jenkins for supplying our newspaper with countless sports photographs over the last few years.
Jenkins can be spotted at a wide variety of sporting events photographing children in action. If you have a child that is twenty-three years or younger who has participated in local sports, chances are Jenkins may have captured a special memory on film for you over the years without expecting any compensation for the treasure.
Mountain Valley News contacted Carla Kirk, a Plainview teacher and cousin of Jenkins, for a comment. Kirk stated, “I don’t even know how to begin to express the many things that make Ginny Jenkins special. We are first cousins and we have grown-up together. As far back as I can remember, Ginny has always had a heart for others. She is one of the most selfless and giving people I know in all aspects of her life. Whether it be to her family, students, co-workers, friends, or community, Ginny truly lives her life to give to others. It’s her joy! She spends hours upon hours of her time doing for others in some way. I am so proud of her and the life she lives. God broke the mold when he created her.”
Karen Millican, Jenkins’s sister, had this to say about her. “I could write a book about how giving and absolutely selfless Ginny is with her time and money when it comes to photographing kids playing sports!! I literally beg her all the time to slow down and spend some time on “Ginny”. Even this very week during the regional tournament at Jacksonville, I have almost demanded that she get some rest and take care of herself. She cannot do it. She’s so afraid she might miss capturing an important moment that someone in the county would treasure for many years.”
Jenkins began her teaching career as an aide at Valley Head in 1995. She transferred to Plainview during the 1996-97 school year as a first grade teacher and is now in her twenty-second year there. Her love for sports photography started before that. While in college, she worked with her father, Carey Baker and his wife Teri at the Weekly Post, a long time publication serving Rainsville and surrounding areas. That’s when her love for sports photography was born.
According to Millican, when her sister’s children and her own became t-ball age, Jenkins started taking sports action shots of them and other children. That was almost twenty-three years ago. In 2009, Jenkins purchased a new camera and her time taking sports photos dramatically increased. With the purchase of another new camera two years ago, she is almost always taking photos when she is not teaching.
Millican added, “While she does love to photograph family, she also loves to photograph friends, and strangers. She takes pictures of my kids and yours. In fact, she doesn’t even have a child of her own playing sports this year, yet she is always there. Ginny in the corner during a Plainview boys’ basketball game is just as sure as Robi Coker in a jacket and tie, or Plainview boys shooting the three. However, she can also be found at junior varsity and pee wee games from time to time. One parent told me he was able to diagnose his daughter’s shot because of Ginny’s pictures. She is amazing. Not only does she spend her time and money taking the pictures, she also spends countless hours loading, editing, and getting them just right.”
Millican made sure to point out that the true reason Jenkins spends all her free time making photographs of other people’s children, was not simply because she liked sports photography. She said, “I didn’t mean to imply that she takes pictures because she is interested in photography. There’s no way that is true! She does it because of her interest in and love for people! When I try to get her to draw a line for her own benefit, she might say, ‘But did you see the sweet expression on Madison’s face? What if Annabelle has a really good game? It’s Lily’s senior year! Do you realize that Alexis is Rebecca’s daughter? What if they win, and I am not there?’.”
Once again, Mountain Valley News extends a heartfelt thank you to Ginny Jenkins; a one of a kind special lady.