13 March 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — KSN is continuing to share the stories of Remarkable Women during March.
Whitney Kallenbach lost her father, Kevin Williams, back in 2008 after he was hit by an impaired driver.
Kevin Williams (Courtesy: Whitney Kallenbach)
Fifteen years later, his memory lives on in her work through the DUI Victim Center of Kansas.
Her coworker who nominated her said Kallenbach is kind, positive, and wants to make a difference in the community.
“Dad did the same thing every single Friday night, and then he went to my uncle, his brother’s transmission shop, and then he went to his best friend’s house, and then he came home,” said Kallenbach, who is now a volunteer and data guru for the DUI Victim Center of Kansas.
It was a normal Friday night for Williams.
Kallenbach said when her dad was heading through Kansas Highway 42 and Hoover, he had the green arrow and was the first to go through the intersection.
“The other person ran the red light, hit him, and kept going,” said Kallenbach.
Williams was killed by an impaired driver.
She was a junior in high school.
Kallenbach said thay right around that time, she had been looking for volunteering opportunities with college right around the corner.
“I kind of found the DUI Victim Center of Kansas right about the time they found me,” said Kallenbach.
The DUI Victim Center of Kansas helped her family through the court process, all while Kallenbach began volunteering with the center.
She began sharing her father’s story at victim impact panels.
“I started speaking at that, and that was it, and here I am,” said Kallenbach.
Kallenbach said her dad always taught her to find the good in every situation.
“And when this happened, I was thinking that there was never going to be any good,” said Kallenbach. She added, “I found it.”
Fifteen years later, Kallenbach still volunteers and works part-time for the center as the Data Guru, all of this work on top of her full-time job.
Courtesy: Whitney Kallenbach
She gathers data from victims and statistics for the center.
She also advocates for victims as well as continues to share her father’s story, including victims, offenders, and now the state of Kansas.
“This is my way of keeping his memory alive, and I’m doing what Dad told me to do,” said Kallenbach.
Kallenbach said she hopes to one day become a full-time victim advocate with the Wichita Police Department.
This way, she can help people facing all tragedies.
She said her family’s victim advocate was a light at the end of the tunnel, and she hopes to do the same for others.
The DUI Victim Center is always looking for donations. You can learn more here.