Let's rewind a bit. Kat has been a key part of the heartbeat of Lenoir for a while now. Long before she was catering to the likes of Exela, she was running a restaurant, a place where the community gathered. Remember those Mom's Nights Out with free childcare upstairs? Cause I know I sure do and man do I miss them. Point is, She's always been about bringing people together.

Then, in September 2024, Kat's world expanded beyond the borders of Caldwell County. She traveled to Malawi, Africa, with Access Health Africa, a non-profit founded by a local doctor, to help train clinicians and provide much-needed surgeries. It was there, amidst the overwhelming need, that a seed was planted in Kats mind.

Fast forward to a seemingly ordinary morning. Kat, like many of us, was scrolling online when she stumbled upon the Maxim Covergirl Competition and saw an opportunity. "$100,000?" she thought, "Holy crap! Sign me up!"

See, Kat isn't really dreaming of magazine glamour. She's dreaming of M.E.O.W. (Medical Equipment Organization Worldwide), a non-profit she's working to create. The goal? To ship used, perfectly functional medical equipment to third-world countries, starting with Malawi, where she's already made connections.

"I joined this competition because it's real life money that's going to make a real life difference," Kat explains. “There's a frustrating amount of red tape that prevents perfectly good medical equipment from being used here in the States.” But in places like Malawi, it's a lifeline. The catch is that shipping and converting the equipment for the correct power voltage is expensive. Kat learned firsthand that donated equipment is useless without this conversion.

The same morning she began to fret over how she would pay for the shipping and conversion of the equipment, she saw the contest online. Kat said she recalls thinking, "That’s EXACTLY how I could get the medical equipment where it needs to go!"

And here's where the magic of Lenoir comes in. Kat insists this is a community effort. "The only way to get ahead is to have everybody vote every single day," she says, her voice buzzing with that infectious energy we all know and love. "I know they can. My dad was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer just months after I moved here and his insurance wouldn't cover his treatment since he was considered terminal. We did a huge fundraiser at Howard brewing and the city just turned out for it. I truthfully, truthfully love this town."

Currently sitting in 6th place out of 10 in the semifinals, which ends this Thursday, Kat is rallying her troops. And if she wins? Well, she's got plans. "I’m gonna sweet talk them into letting me give the photoshoot to the runner-up! You know?! If she’s a model or something, that would really help her career!" That's Kat for you – always thinking of others.

And imagine Lenoir, NC, in the pages of Maxim! "No matter what happens, I just hope you all see the magic of our town! We’ve made it to the semifinals of a Maxim Magazine Competition!" she exclaims.

To know Kat is to love Kat. She's a ray of sunshine, a whirlwind of kindness. So, let's help her shine. Voting is free, and you can vote once a day. Just log in with your email. Let's show the world what Lenoir is made of, one vote at a time. Because when Kat dreams big, she dreams big for all of us.