Kickin' it for Katy offering $1,500 scholarships to West Virginia mental health students – WV News
Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 41F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..
Cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 41F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph.
Updated: October 22, 2025 @ 3:04 pm
Participants warm up for a previous Kickin’ It for Katy 5K run/walk at Fairmont State University.
Participants warm up for a previous Kickin’ It for Katy 5K run/walk at Fairmont State University.
FAIRMONT, W.Va. (WV News) — Kickin’ it for Katy is giving out three $1,500 scholarships this year for students going into mental health fields, and officials are encouraging eligible students to apply for the funding.
The Kickin’ it for Katy 5K began in 2021 in honor of Kaitlynn Newbraugh Towson, who died by suicide. The 5K annually raises funds for suicide and mental heath awareness.
Kickin’ it for Katy race director Gina Dixon, Towson’s grandmother, said she and others involved in the race wanted to add another layer to the work they do in the community.
“We’ve been saving up so we could another endowment for mental health through Fairmont State University, but that’s only for Fairmont State students,” she said. “We get a lot of support from all over the state, so we want to support them, too.”
As long as the student is enrolled in a non-nursing program related to mental health at a university or college in West Virginia, they are eligible for the scholarship, Dixon said.
To apply for the scholarships, students must complete an essay, which will be checked for disqualifiable AI usage.
“We are dying to give out these funds to support our communities,” Dixon said. “If we can inspire anybody to go into a mental health field, we need to. The mental health field doesn’t have enough people in it.”
Students can apply for the scholarship online at www.kickinitforkaty.com. The deadline for applications is Feb. 13.
Fairmont News Editor John Mark Shaver can be reached at 304-844-8485 or jshaver@theet.com.
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