Stories

Nikkia Barkley has been working since she was 15. Even when she was working in restaurants and retail stores, she had a vision of doing something different. When she got accepted to the University of Miami, she planned on studying computer engineering. 

She decided to decline her admission offer when she learned she was expecting. She didn't want to take her son away from his father, and she was the caretaker for her mom, who was often sick. 

To understand why Jeff Gordon Children's Foundation has been racing to end childhood cancer for 20 years, look at Merritt. She just turned two years old, but her smile will brighten even the darkest day. She's fighting Rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer of soft tissues, and recently underwent surgery at Levine Children's Hospital here in Charlotte. But that doesn't stop her from laughing and making silly faces every chance she gets. 

Picture a preschooler. Big grin, backpack twice their size, eyes wide open to the exciting world. When you're three and four years old, the future is limitless. 

The wide-eyed preschoolers from the first graduating class of The Learning Collaborative are now in their mid-30s. Many of them have preschoolers of their own. That's how long TLC has been offering a high-quality early childhood education to underserved families in Charlotte. 

Ginger and Malcolm Combs were high school sweethearts in High Point. According to the Combs family, Ginger saw Malcolm bagging groceries after school one day, and the rest is history. The couple raised two children and enjoyed traveling and spending time with their seven grandchildren. They retired to Lancaster County, South Carolina to be close to family.