Group that helps grieving children marks milestone graduation

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A community organization is helping grieving children and young adults succeed. 

Through partnerships and supports, Connecting the Gap is providing therapy, mentorship and educational resources. 

The group recently reached a milestone when Christopher Daylin Carter graduated from East Carolina University.

“After hearing people be proud of me, I kind of just start to resonate with me, like this is a big deal. You pushed through and you made it,” Carter said. 

His mentor, Quaneka Falls, attended the ceremony and cheered for him as he crossed the stage.

“Just to see how much throughout the years Christopher has grown so much,” Falls said. 

Carter said he appreciates the support of his late mother and grandmother.

“I think it’s closest I can really get to spending time with them and really having them with me throughout my accomplishments, whatever I do in my life,” Carter said. 

He lost both of them in a car crash in Greensboro in 2020 after a driver hit them head-on. Carter, who was 17 at the time, survived.

“If it was something that was powerful enough to take lives, how did I continue?” Carter said. 

His family rallied around him, and he got support from Connecting the Gap.

Since 2020, the Charlotte nonprofit has helped around 60 children and young adults who lost a parent around the state. The group links them to resources to ensure they are successful post-graduation while they tackle grief. 

“I feel like the support is important because when kids feel that you really, genuinely care about them, that gives them motivation to keep going,” Falls said. 

The mission is personal for Falls because she lost her mother when she was 14. 

“She had me and she had my brother, and we took two different paths, and I feel like because I’ve had the resources, I had community, I had mentors in my life, I was still able to be successful,” she said. 

Carter said after his mom and grandmother died, the organization supported him right away. 

“I was still kind of in shock. I was still kind of going through the motions, but just having that support there was definitely helpful, and just another person that’s looking for my success,” he said.

The support stayed with him through college.

“Therapy and just my freshman year or even pretty much every year up until I moved out, college, [Falls] was helping me get anything that I need from my dorms,” Carter said. 

He’s the first student from the program to graduate college, an accomplishment that exemplifies their motto. 

“I’ve firsthand witnessed Christopher grieve, believe and succeed,” Falls said. 

He credits part of his success to Connecting the Gap and his family.

“It’s amazing. I feel like God put a lot of people up in amazing ways, and I feel like without the support system that I have now, most likely wouldn’t be where I’m at,” Carter said. 

Thanks to his uncle, Carter said he graduated debt-free from ECU with a degree in psychology and nutrition.

In previous years, the organization received funding from United Way and Canopy Housing Foundation.

This year, they are hoping to secure grant funding and donations to continue their mission. 

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