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. 

GATE Pregnancy Resource Center is a safe place for pregnant women and their partners to learn about their options, find supplies for their first year as parents, and gain the skills and knowledge to be confident moms and dads. 

GATE stands for Giving, Assisting, Teaching and Empowering. Let's break down the four components of the services offered by GATE Pregnancy Resource Center.
 

GIVING love, compassion and resources

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. 

Your 21st birthday?

Awesome.

All the ones after that?

Ehhhh, not so much.

Another year in the rearview, another gray hair, another wrinkle, and maybe a few more pounds around the waist.

But your birthday as a kid?

That was pure magic.

Unfortuantely, for thousands of Charlotte children, their birthday isn’t much cause for celebration.

For homeless and impoverished children, it’s just another day to get through.

Did you know that September has been the most popular birth month for more than 20 years? And at a time of the year when birth rates are at their peak, it is important to know that there are local organizations offering support and services to expecting and new mothers. 

This month, we are using our Spotlight Series as a platform to highlight our local nonprofit partners who offer pregnancy and newborn resources. Read below how they serve our community and check out their SHARE Charlotte profiles to see how you can get invovled. 

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. 

“And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 

Written by Amy Andrews

You may not be familiar with the name Child Care Resources Inc. (CCRI), but the organization has been a tireless force serving children and families in the Charlotte region for nearly forty years. Their singular mission? To provide access to high quality, affordable early learning and school-age opportunities for all children and workforce and child care program capacity building.