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We provide financial help for young adults fighting cancer.

Serving the Greater Charlotte, NC area, our financial assistance helps alleviate stress so cancer patients and their families can focus on living their lives and healing.

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Moffatt's Story

“The Meggs Foundation goes beyond writing checks. They become your allies in the fight and are there every step of the way. They provide more than just financial aid – they provide love, encouragement, and a true sense of community.”

Chantia's Story

“A great deal of stress has been taken off our shoulders thanks to The Meggs Foundation. The assistance we received has been extremely helpful in keeping us focused on getting better and our well-being and as we move forward.”

Tejas' Story

“This has enabled me to focus my energies on fighting my cancer diagnosis wholeheartedly – without the constant financial woes. I have also been able to focus more on whom I’m actually fighting for, rather than about the medical bills.”

What Most People Don't Know About Cancer

Most of us have seen the physical devastation cancer and its treatments can inflict on a person. We’ve witnessed or even experienced the fear, uncertainty and stress that comes with a cancer diagnosis. What is rarely discussed is the intense financial burden that families are suddenly saddled with. Even with the best health insurance plans, co-pays and non-covered expenses can quickly grow into the thousands of dollars.
Particularly for young adults, the effects can be overwhelming.
  • 60% of young adults living with cancer either go into debt or must borrow money to meet basic living expenses during treatment.
  • Up to 40% of young adults undergoing cancer treatment will have to stop working, resulting in the loss of vital income.
  • According to the National Cancer Institute, chronic stress brought on by financial concerns may impair the body's ability to fight cancer cells and decrese the effectiveness of cheotherapy.
  • As financial stress increases, patients often feel hopeless and are forced to choose between taking care of their health and providing for their families — a decision no one should ever have to make.
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“As a Leukemia survivor, I can tell you, the stress of rent, bills and medical debt was like a dark cloud hovering over me.”
— William
Meggs Foundation Recipient

How We Operate

The Meggs Foundation was founded to offer emergency financial assistance to young adults in the Charlotte, NC area who are undergoing cancer treatments and the subsequent financial burden they can bring.

  • We provide emergency financial assistance during a patient's cancer treatments.
  • We help pay for housing, utilities and vehicle loans. The funds are paid directly to third party service providers and loan holders.
  • The majority of our applicants are sourced through and vetted by 20+ Nurse/Financial Navigators at Levine Cancer Institute. However, anyone who meets our criteria is welome to apply online.
  • All donations serve patients living within the Greater Charlotte area.

How You Can Get Involved

Let’s get real. The mission of The Meggs Foundation – offering financial assistance to young adults with cancer – takes money. The more money we raise, the more people we can help. This is where you come in. It is through your generosity that we can continue to provide hope and peace of mind to our young adult neighbors who are fighting this horrible and debilitating disease. Here are some ways you can help.

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Join our email list so you can learn about upcoming fundraising events where you can get involved. We'll also update you on our programs and progress from time to time.

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Donate Now

Your generous gifts through donations will provide financial help along with hope and peace of mind to young Charlotte adults and their families while navigating cancer treatements.

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Sponsor an Event

By investing in our events with a company sponsorship, you're helping change the lives of young Charlotte adults with cancer. And you're showing them how much you care.

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The Daniel Meggs Story

The Meggs Foundation takes its name from Daniel Meggs – a vibrant, active young man who loved his family, playing golf and living life to the fullest. At the age of 27, Daniel was diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer — just three weeks before he exchanged wedding vows with his high school sweetheart. 

After two years of an incredibly brave fight, Daniel passed away on February 21, 2020. He was only 29 and is survived by his wife and his son, born just two weeks after his death. 

The Meggs Foundation was formed in 2019 by four families in south Charlotte to assist Daniel in paying his mounting medical bills and day-to-day living expenses as he was going through aggressive cancer treatments. The foundation lives on today in his honor, seeking to help other young adults in the greater Charlotte area who facing the struggles of a cancer diagnosis.

Before he died, Daniel wrote a letter to his father. In that letter he expressed a final wish:

“I have said since the beginning of this process that it is my wish that everyone could feel that love and support that I have felt just once it their life.  It has truly changed my life. We are so thankful to the Meggs Foundation and I pray that we can get to the point where we can use fundraising to help other young people going through life threatening diseases as well.”
 — Daniel Meggs

Gunnel Greenhagen

Board Member

Gunnel’s career was in education, including as a full-time teacher at the FLETCHER SCHOOL in Charlotte for 7 years. Since retirement has been involved in many educational and charitable causes:

  • Board of Directors, Sterling Math and Science Foundation
  • Director of Theater Arts; Miller Place Schools, Miller Place, N Y
  • Event Coordinator; Zimmer Carolinas, Charlotte NC
  • One of the Founders and a past President of CWC (Carolinas Women’s Club)

Rusty Kopp

Board Member

Rusty spent roughly 20 years in the kitchen cabinet industry as a VP of Sales. The core of his career was with Cabinetworks, the second largest manufacturer of cabinets in the US. Recently, he has pivoted his career to the Information Technology industry, where he works for SeedSpark – a Charlotte based company that provides technology services for small businesses and mid-sized corporations. In addition, Rusty works for JenCon Builders in Charlotte – a commercial General Contractor that services North and South Carolina.  

Rusty is a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne University where he played on the golf team and is still active in the Bears Club Alumni Association. He is currently a member at TPC Piper Glen. 

Chip Busker

Board Member

Chip has been the owner of RFB Security Consulting and Private Investigations for 20 years. He currently handles the security for all Hendrick Companies, including Hendrick Automotive, Hendrick Motorsports and Hendrick Aviation. He has consulted for Coca Cola Bottling, Snyder’s Lance, Anheuser Busch and numerous law firms and HR companies. 

Chip was a Charlotte police officer and retired as a Sargent with over 23 years of experience. He conducted undercover operations for over 18 of those years working with the FBI, DEA and Home land Security. He was also a defensive tactics instructor and certified instructor with The North Carolina Criminal Justice Academy., He’s been teaching and instructing for almost 30 years.  He is currently a member of Pine Lake Country Club.

Jeff Lee

Board Member

Jeff is the Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Defeasance LLC, which is part of Thirty Capital Financial.  Commercial Defeasance is the pioneer and industry leader in assisting commercial real estate owners with the defeasance of CMBS loans.

Jeff and his team have contributed to the defeasance of over 10,000 commercial loans representing over $100 billion in defeasance securities structured and acquired for office, retail, industrial, hospitality, medical, multifamily and self-storage properties. Jeff is an avid golfer and his family are members of Providence Country Club.

Kathy Ragland

Board Member

Kathy ended her 28 year career in the medical services industry as a Vice-President, Services for Allscripts in Raleigh, North Carolina. Over her career, she managed multiple East Coast offices overseeing medical insurance claims, including the conversion of doctors’ offices to electronic medical records from 2010-2012.

Since retirement, she has volunteered at Levine Children’s NICU, Levine’s Cancer Research Center in Charlotte as well as been a co-Founder and Vice-President of the CWC (Carolina Women’s Club). She also was President of the Women’s 18 Hole golf group at TPC Piper Glen for many years. Kathy went to University of Maryland.

Kate Lee

Secretary

Kate is a holistic health coach, yoga instructor, sometimes photographer and mother of two. She attended the University of Vermont and graduated in 2000 with a Bachelors in Business Administration. She worked as a software consultant before having her two children.

Jeff and Kate’s son, Aston, is becoming an accomplished golfer, whose passion for golf was fostered by Daniel Meggs.

Steven Myers

Treasurer

For over 30 years, Steven has owned and operated SBM Companies, Inc. a full-service real estate and mortgage brokerage advisory firm with offices in Charlotte and Los Angeles. The firm specializes in the brokering and financing of real property. Previously as a banking consultant, Steven was responsible for Security and Exchange Commission filing and regulatory reporting for a bank holding company as well as consulted with various independent banks to provide financial accounting services and oversee the regulatory filing process.

Steven has served on many Corporate and Non-Profit Boards of Directors, including as the immediate past president of the Board of Governors for TPC at Piper Glen. For the past 15 years, he has been a member of the 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte, serving as president, treasurer and board member at large. The 100 Black Men of Greater Charlotte is dedicated to improving the quality of life in the African American community through the mentoring of youth from age 10 through high school.

 

John Ragland

Vice President

John spent 40 years in commercial real estate. Twenty-four of those years were with The Rouse Company, one of the country’s largest REITS. He also spent ten years with TIAA-CREF in Charlotte running its retail real estate investment platform. As Managing Director at TIAA, he oversaw a team of acquisition and asset management professionals for a $13 billion shopping center portfolio.

He is a graduate of Duke University and a member of TPC Piper Glen. John’s philanthropic activities include being an active Board Member of First Tee Montgomery County and of TPC Piper Glen Men’s Golf Association.

Rich Greenhagen

President

Rich was the President and Owner of Greenhagen Medical, Inc., which was founded in 1997 and sold in 2019. The company’s line of business included the wholesale distribution of surgical and other medical instruments, apparatus, and equipment throughout the country. The company had 113 employees at its corporate office in Charlotte and at its multiple U.S. distribution hubs. 

Rich is also a United States combat veteran who served in Vietnam (1969-70) as an infantry officer and has been very active in Wounded Warriors. Prior to entering the business field, he was a public-school teacher for ten years in New York.

Rich Greenhagen

President

Rich was the President and Owner of Greenhagen Medical, Inc., which was founded in 1997 and sold in 2019. The company’s line of business included the wholesale distribution of surgical and other medical instruments, apparatus, and equipment throughout the country. The company had 113 employees at its corporate office in Charlotte and at its multiple U.S. distribution hubs. 

Rich is also a United States combat veteran who served in Vietnam (1969-70) as an infantry officer and has been very active in Wounded Warriors. Prior to entering the business field, he was a public-school teacher for ten years in New York.

Let's Talk!

Please let us know how we can contact you and what’s on your mind.

The Meggs Foundation

9935-D Rea Road  Box 504

Charlotte, NC  28277

Email: info@themeggsfoundation.org