St. Norbert College alum Kay Lechner receives 2010 NBCC Foundation Rural Scholarship

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From National Board for Certified Counselors and Affiliates, March 24, 2011
by Jennifer Trout, trout@nbcc.org, (336) 217-4284

Kay H. Lechner of Valparaiso, Indiana, has been awarded the 2010 NBCC Foundation Rural Scholarship. The rural scholarship is awarded to counseling students who commit to serving in rural and underserved areas upon graduation.

The mission of the NBCC Foundation is to promote mental health through the advancement of professional counseling and credentialing. The rural scholarship was created in 2009 to develop more counseling services in rural and underserved areas, which suffer disproportionately from a lack of mental health care. Students from across the country applied for the five rural scholarships, and the NBCC Foundation Board of Trustees awarded an additional rural scholarship in response to the high caliber of the applicants.
Ms. Lechner will receive $3,000 to support her counseling education and in recognition of her commitment to the underserved. She is currently a student at Valparaiso University pursuing a master's in clinical mental health counseling and holds a bachelor's degree from St. Norbert College.
Ms. Lechner realized her calling to serve in a rural area after seeing her family and neighbors in rural Wisconsin drive for miles to obtain medical and mental health care. Her decision was reinforced during a study abroad in Rome where she worked to help many of the poor and homeless living there. She has committed to working in rural Wisconsin after graduation to bring mental health services to those with little or no access to such care.

In addition to Ms. Lechner's scholarship, five additional $3,000 rural scholarships have been awarded. The NBCC Foundation has also awarded five $3,000 military scholarships to increase the number of counselors available to serve military servicemembers and veterans and their families.
The NBCC Foundation plans to continue offering scholarships to increase the number of counselors in the areas where they are needed most. For more information or to make a gift in support of the Foundation's mission, please visit http://www.nbccf.org.