Kellie Walker, executive director of the Children’s Center of the Cumberlands, is pictured with her husband, Dustin, and their daughters, and her parents.
Kellie Walker, executive director of the Children’s Center of the Cumberlands, was presented at Thursday’s annual meeting as the Scott County Chamber of Commerce/Independent Herald Person of the Year for 2021.
Walker was chosen as the ninth Person of the Year, a recognition that dates back to 2013.
Through her personal battles of losing her son, Kip, and her fight against cancer, Walker has inspired Scott County. She was present for Thursday’s Annual Meeting, along with her husband, Dustin, her daughters, her parents, and several of her co-workers from the Children’s Center.
“Anybody who knows her will tell you that even now, after everything she has gone through and everything that she is going through, she is still the person who is trying to uplift everyone around her and make their lives better, and I cannot think of a better example of selflessness than that,” said Independent Herald publisher Ben Garrett in presenting the award. “She could’ve withdrawn and isolated, but she didn’t do that. Basically, she has chosen to share with us — this community — the most personal and difficult time of her life and in doing that, she has inspired an entire community.”
Kellie Walker is pictured with her husband, Dustin, their daughters, and Scott County Chamber of Commerce Treasurer Jacob Billingsley.
Walker said that she and her husband, Dustin, talked about whether to make her battle with cancer public when she was first diagnosed.
“I told Dustin, I can recall the conversation so vividly, I want people to know what the Lord can do, and I want people to know what the Lord is going to do in this situation,” she said. “Through that, however my life turns out, whether I live or die, I want people to see God’s glory through that.
“I am so blessed. God has blessed me so tremendously,” Walker added. “It’s not about me. It’s about Him. To tell you my story is to tell you about the good Lord, the good that He has done, and the things He has blessed me with, and not just that but the way this community has stood behind me.”