Help send Caleb to college in honor of his mom and nana

When he was 10, he lost his mom.

When he was 17, he lost his nana.

My "little brother," Caleb, has faced unimaginable grief and loss.

Now he’s off to Greensboro College in the fall to study and play football.

I want to help him thrive and need your help.

I met Caleb when he was seven years old. We were matched through the amazing Big Brothers Big Sisters youth mentoring nonprofit here in Charlotte, NC. I have four distinct memories of Caleb from our first 1-1 meeting back in 2014: 1) he was incredibly respectful for a 7-year-old... lots of "yes sirs" and "pleases" and "thank you's;" 2) he trusted me immediately and told me some incredible and tough things about his life...as a seven-year-old; 3) he was game for anything...we went to a Polish restaurant and ate pierogis (my kids only ate chicken fingers, pizza, and mac & cheese); and 4) his mom was his everything. His father was not part of the picture.

Caleb's mother tragically died unexpectedly when he was 10 years old. I will never forget seeing him standing over her coffin in the church at her funeral service. His grandparents took him in and his nana became his replacement everything. Caleb dedicated everything he did in his mom's memory. He dedicated every varsity football game and basketball game to his mom. Despite his grief, he worked towards his goal of going to college in memory of his mom. He misses her every day. He wished she could be at his football senior day. She was not there for his prom photos. He wishes his girlfriend could meet her. There is a hole that will never be filled.

In April of this year, Caleb's nana unexpectedly died. The hole in his life became a crater. The two most important people in his life were gone before he turned 18.

Impressively, Caleb keeps his eye on his future. He strives to find family wherever he goes...school, football, work.

His next journey takes him to college to study, become an adult, and play Division 3 football at Greensboro College in Greensboro, NC. He has no resources and needs help.

Please help me raise funds, so Caleb can go to college, begin to become independent, and in his words "help give back to the community who cares about him."

The money we raise here will 100% be used for Caleb to go to school AND also enable basic needs like transportation, health expenses, campus extracurriculars, books and supplies, clothing, food, technology, and housing/rent.

Caleb is an amazing young man and so worth our collective investment.

Watch -- WCNC Charlotte News Story About Caleb