Youth Scholarship

  • Kathy Kirschbaum

    Kirschbaum was the first female mayor of Davenport and a civic leader for many years.

  • Karen Fitzsimmons

    Fitzsimmons was the Scott County Auditor for more than 30 years.

Kathy Kirschbaum and Karen Fitzsimmons were extraordinary women whose hard work, perseverance, dedication to fairness, and progressive actions inspired others. Kathy served as the first female mayor of Davenport and Karen as the first female auditor of the county.

The $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a graduating senior from a Scott County high school in the academic year of 2023-2024.  This student must be accepted for initial enrollment in an accredited post-secondary educational program in the United States for the academic year 2024-2025.  Eligible programs include 4-year colleges, community colleges, vocational, technical, trade schools, and union apprenticeships.

Students can access applications at all Scott County high school guidance offices.

Applications must be submitted to the scholarship committee by U.S. mail.  The submission postmark deadline is May 1, 2025.

For more information, contact Dr. Henry Brockington at Henrybrockingtondc85@gmail.com

Jae Jepsen Awarded Scott County Democrats Kirschbaum-Fitzsimmons Scholarship

The editor of student newspaper The Spartan Shield, Jae Jepsen, has won the 2024 Kirschbaum-Fitzsimmons Scholarship.

Jae plans to major in journalism and communications at the University of Missouri. An example of her work as an editor and writer is at this link.

Jae said, “I want to make things better and improve my community, but it wasn’t until I discovered journalism that I had an avenue for my activism. When I wrote for my school newspaper, I was provided a very public platform for my ideas, one that reached further than I ever hoped.”

Scholarship Recipient Jae Jepsen with Scholarship Committee Chair Henry Brockington and Scott County Democrats Chair Kay Pence.