PSC hosting domestic violence awareness walk in memory of slain teacher Carla Williams

Pensacola State College is hosting a domestic violence awareness walk in memory of Carla Williams, a Pensacola educator who was shot and killed in May.

Williams was doing an early-morning work out at Pensacola Fitness when her ex-boyfriend, Kennon Farrow, allegedly came in and shot her multiple times, according to his arrest report. At the time, Williams already had a domestic violence injunction in place against Farrow.

"Domestic Violence is an ongoing issue in our society and this past year, it really hit home for the PSC Family with the loss of Coach Carla Williams," Jessica Johnson, PSC's director of Wellness Services, said in a news release.

The awareness walk is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Thursday at PSC's campus track as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Johnson said the walk is one of several events "to raise awareness of the issue and provide information on the resources available to help victims."

On Tuesday, PSC is hosting the Warrington ReachOut awareness campaign from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Building 3700 of PSC's Warrington Campus.

At noon Wednesday, representatives of the FavorHouse of Northwest Florida, will discuss "Identifying Intimate Partner Violence" during an event at the Hagler Auditorium at PSC's Pensacola campus.

'The world is a less kind place now': Colleagues reflect on life of Carla Williams

Never forget: Carla Williams to be posthumously inducted into Pensacola State College Athletics Hall of Fame

"We have seen an outpouring, particularly from our students, who are willing to share their stories and reach our for support," Johnson told the News Journal on Monday. "With Ms. Williams' death, it impacted everyone at the institution in some way, so we've been able to forge a closer-knit community."

An associate professor at the college, Williams spent more than 24 years working in PSC athletics, Collegiate High and the Mathematics and Computer Science Department. After her death, the Carla Williams Memorial Endowed Scholarship was established to help lift, inspire and support PSC student-athletes now and long into the future.

There is a $15 participation fee for anyone who wishes to participate in the Domestic Violence Awareness Walk, or a $30 fee that includes a free T-shirt. Donations will go to the Carla Williams Memorial fund.

To register for the event, visit PSC's athletics webpage.

"It definitely opened up a different door for us," Johnson said, "and we're really glad to see it because it means the students are being supported."

Benjamin Johnson can be reached at bjohnson@pnj.com or 850-435-8578

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola walk raises funds for Carla Williams memorial scholarship