19-year-old Denay Cuffey thought she was going down to the Hope Center at Pullen to grab some things for her dorm. Instead, she was surprised with a check for 1,500 dollars from the Gilbert Scholarship to pay to help pay for her third year at North Carolina Central University.

UNCW is supporting foster youth through their college journey with the support of Gilbert Scholarship Inc and others. Feature in an article in the Spring 2023 issue of UNCW Magazine, Darlena Moore and Gilbert Scholarship Inc. are making a difference in the lives of young adults who grew up in foster care.

In 2016, Moore began volunteering for Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she encountered the program Fostering Bright Futures. “They bring in foster youth from the community and nurture all aspects of their life and help them through the college process,” Moore says. “It spurred all kinds of memories, and I started thinking I needed to do more.” 

From a young age, Memorie Bullard was raised by her loving grandmother, whom she described as her “angel,” until her recent passing in 2020. Afterwards, Bullard was placed in the foster care system while completing her senior year at Lakewood High School (LHS).  

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“I decided that I needed to do more than just mentor and volunteer. I started cooking granola out of my home to sell, with 100% of proceeds going to a scholarship named in honor of the Gilberts.”