I Got Your Six 5K Donates $65,000 to KCC Foundation

Posted On: 07/23/24

L-R: Dr. Michael Boyd, Chief Eric Springer, Sgt. Brandon Jensen, Dr. Melvina Calvin, Dr. Quincy Rose-Sewell, Kathy Rittmanic-Emme, Lyn Stua, and Kari Nugent

On July 22, organizers of the “I Got Your Six 5K” made a $65,000 donation toward KCC scholarships in memory of Bradley Police Sgt. Marlene Rittmanic and honoring the resilience of Bradley Police Sgt. Tyler Bailey.

The donation funds the Rittmanic-Bailey Law Enforcement Scholarship at Kankakee Community College. For the 2024-25 school year, Jesus Salazar of Bradley and Jesus Guzman-Perez of Bourbonnais are each receiving a $5,500 scholarship to enroll in the KCC law enforcement and criminal justice programs.

“This scholarship will help me out financially and allow me to focus on my studies,” said Salazar.

“This will help me so much and I am forever grateful,” said Guzman-Perez.

Rittmanic is a 1994 KCC graduate and had a 21-year law enforcement career with the Iroquois County Sheriff’s Department and Bradley Police Department. Bailey joined the Bradley Police Department in 2018. On Dec. 29, 2021, Rittmanic was killed in the line of duty, and Bailey sustained critical injuries during a noise disturbance call at a Bradley hotel. Bailey spent nearly 11 months in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities before returning home. He earned the rank of sergeant in December 2022 and retired from the Bradley Police Department in May 2023.

Initial funding for the Rittmanic-Bailey Law Enforcement Scholarships was made to the KCC Foundation in 2022 by the Rittmanic and Bailey families, Bradley Police Sgt. Brandon Jensen, and organizers of the I Got Your Six 5K Run/Walk. Each year, additional donations have been made following the I Got Your Six event. Planning is underway for the 2025 I Got Your Six 5K on May 18, 2025.

Current and future KCC students can apply for scholarships at foundation.kcc.edu/scholarships. Scholarship applications for the 2025-26 school year will be accepted Oct. 1, 2024 through May 1, 2025. More than $230,000 in scholarships to KCC students are available. Since 1969, the KCC Foundation has worked to advance the mission of KCC by raising funds that support the college’s students, faculty, staff and programs.