Our Beneficiaries

The Barksdale Cancer Foundation was founded in 1999 after the Barksdale family from Phenix, VA lost three family members in a four-year period to cancer. Seeing the suffering and anguish experienced during these trying years, the family decided it would like to memorialize their loved ones and at the same time help others in Charlotte County, VA who were suffering due to the same illness.

In those first few years the Barksdales held auctions amongst themselves instead of exchanging Christmas gifts, donating and selling to each other. Those events netted over $14,000 which the family gave to a non-profit society. However, when they discovered that the money did not remain in the county to help local citizens, they set about finding a way to do so. They applied for and received their 501c3 tax-exempt status and took the organization public, realizing they needed help from outside the parameters of family in order to increase fundraising efforts.

The organization is governed by a 15-member board of directors, in addition to a president, vice-president, treasurer and secretary. No one affiliated with the Barksdale Cancer Foundation is compensated, they are all volunteers.

The MCCA was founded by Wendell Watterson after several battles with different types of cancer. As he was forced to schedule numerous doctor and hospital visits, he talked to many other people within the waiting area who needed financial assistance to continue their treatments, medication, travel expenses and time lost from work. In researching, not for himself, but for others, he found there was little assistance available. So much money is raised every year at different types of fundraising events, but so much of this money goes to "research" and "administrative costs", instead of direct financial assistance for those in need.

In 2006, after Mr. Watterson won his battle with cancer, he contacted family and friends asking for help with establishing an organization that would help local citizens with direct payments to applicants who were experiencing the financial hardship of fighting this disease. The Mecklenburg County Cancer Association was formed. All donations made to this organization is accepted by the IRS as Tax Deductible. Board Members are Mecklenburg County residents who volunteer their time. Expenses are limited to mandatory fees and expenses for fundraising that cannot be obtained through donations. Only residents of Mecklenburg County, Virginia may qualify for assistance through the MCCA.