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OREM — Katie Bunnell was 23 years old when her husband unexpectedly passed away, leaving her with a 3-month-old baby.
She decided to go to college to support her daughter, but struggled with finding child care and financing. Eventually she found help and completed her bachelor's degree from Utah Valley University in 2.5 years.
Now she is using the organization she created, the Live Your Dream Foundation, to give scholarships to other single moms.
“It was a dream of mine because I had gone through such a struggle to find resources out there for help,” she said. “That’s how it started. It’s a great thing, especially when you go through hard situations, to be able to find some good and give back.”
The group will be hosting its second annual Raft and Run, which combines a five-mile raft float with a 5K fun run, on July 24 at Canyon Glen Park in Provo Canyon to help raise money. Additional scholarships will also be awarded at the event and applications for the scholarships will be accepted until July 18.
The foundation awards scholarships of up to $2,000 per mother that can be used for tuition at Utah schools. It has already given out four scholarships for the fall 2014 semester.
“When we have sponsors and donors, not only are they helping a single mom, but they are helping an entire family,” Bunnell said.
Alyson Wyatt’s husband passed away almost two years ago after fighting a brain tumor for 18 months. She was working to put him through law school at the time of his diagnosis, but hadn’t completed college herself.
Originally her husband received a good prognosis and even returned to work while she stayed home. When he died, their first child was 8 months old. Wyatt received a scholarship from the foundation to help her pay for tuition while she studies dental hygiene at Utah State University.
“The fact that they are doing a scholarship like this for single moms is huge because your world completely falls apart and you have to attempt to pick up the pieces the best that you can,” she said.
“Going back to school on top of having to provide (for your child) and all of the other emotional trauma you’ve already been through is completely stressful, so for them to have this organization and foundation to reach out to single moms and help is incredible.”
More information about the Raft and Run can be found on the event's website. The mothers who have received scholarships in the past will be at the event to hand out medals to each person who crosses the finish line.
