Kathy Holden receives the Lifetime Achievement Award

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) —

Kathy Holden, a Vicksburg native who has dedicated nearly three decades to working with young people at the Warren County Youth Detention Center, has received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Holden received the honor at the Mississippi Juvenile Justice Symposium earlier this month, recognizing a career that began at the bottom and eventually led her to become the facility’s administrator.

The award came during one of the most difficult periods of Holden’s life. Following the unexpected death of her son, Levi Wyatt, Holden was unable to attend the symposium, and members of her staff accepted the award on her behalf.

“I was shocked and happy when they told me that I had gotten it, but it was around the time of my baby’s accident, so it was bittersweet,” Holden said.

Holden has spent 29 years at the Warren County Youth Detention Center, including the last 15 years as administrator. She began her career as an officer and worked under three different administrators before eventually moving into leadership herself.

During her tenure, Holden also served as office manager and shift supervisor. As her career progressed, she returned to school and earned her degree from Belhaven University.

Holden credits former Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs Jr., who previously served as administrator of the detention center, with encouraging her to further her education.

While the Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes Holden’s career, she said some of her greatest rewards have come directly from the young people who once passed through the detention center. Holden still receives messages from former detainees, something she views as confirmation that her work has made a difference.

“Things like that are rewarding, and although those kids are locked up and detained, I still treated them with love, respect and dignity because we don’t know what they’re going through at home,” Holden said.

After nearly 30 years at the facility, Holden had begun thinking about retirement. One of her goals was to see Wyatt finish college and begin his career before she stepped away. Those plans changed when he was killed in a wreck.

“Losing my baby knocked me down,” Holden said. “I know the type of kid he was, and he would want me to keep fighting for the kids.”

That mission has kept Holden connected to the challenges facing young people in the community. Through her daily work, she said the prevalence of guns among youth has become a serious concern.

Holden also continues to welcome members of the community into the detention center to educate and mentor young people. She said some detainees arrive lacking knowledge of basic life skills, including proper hygiene, making community involvement an important part of helping them move forward.

For Holden, the Lifetime Achievement Award does not belong to her alone. She credits her staff and her two sons for the sacrifices they have made throughout her career.

“To get this while going through something so tragic, it made me smile, but this is for my boys because they had to sacrifice their mom,” Holden said. “My staff is just the best, and my work is not done.”

Holden’s 29-year journey — from starting as an officer to leading the Warren County Youth Detention Center — is one she hopes can serve as an example of what perseverance, education and commitment can accomplish.

Even while grieving one of the greatest losses of her life, Holden said she intends to continue the work that has defined nearly three decades of her life: helping young people find a better path.