Who we are
Supporting the people who care for everyone else
North Carolina has no equivalent of the paid family-caregiver programs found in other states, so many of our neighbors carry the load alone. Ultimate Caregiver Group walks alongside them.
Ultimate Caregiver Group supports the family members providing unpaid care to loved ones who are aging, ill, or living with a disability. Most of these caregivers are women, and most receive little support for themselves.
We believe that those who care for others deserve to be cared for as well. UCG walks alongside caregivers three ways: caregiver education, direct assistance with verified needs, and connection to local, state, and federal resources.
Our first annual caregiver conference — January 2025, in Suffolk, VA — filled a ballroom with caregivers from Hertford County alongside clergy, health professionals, a sitting judge, and community leadership. In February 2026, the IRS approved UCG as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Now we are building the organization that makes this work a year-round promise.
Our founder
Dr. Shirley Vinson, EdD
Founder & Executive Director
An educator by training and a caregiver advocate by calling, Dr. Vinson founded Ultimate Caregiver Group to make sure the people who care for others are cared for as well.
She authored The Ultimate Caregiver’s Guideand hosted UCG’s first annual caregiver conference in January 2025, bringing together more than 100 caregivers, clergy, health professionals, and community leaders.
Today she leads UCG’s three-pronged model — caregiver education, direct assistance with verified needs, and connection to local, state, and federal resources — across Hertford County and eastern North Carolina.
Board of directors
Ultimate Caregiver Group is governed by a volunteer board of directors with deep roots across health care, faith communities, and education in eastern North Carolina.
Dr. Shirley Vinson
Founder & Executive Director, Board Secretary
Founder and Executive Director of Ultimate Caregiver Group, Dr. Vinson serves as Secretary of the board.
Marc Vinson
Board Chair & Treasurer
Marc Vinson leads UCG's operations, finance, and organizational infrastructure and serves as Chair and Treasurer of the board. An entrepreneur with ventures spanning education and wellness, he co-founded UCG's caregiver work alongside Dr. Vinson and guides the organization's growth from founder-funded startup to community-sustained nonprofit.
Dr. Terry C. Hall
Board Member
A lifetime resident of Winton, Dr. Terry C. Hall has practiced dentistry in Ahoskie for 40 years. A graduate of Murfreesboro High School, Hampton University, and the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, he has served on multiple Hertford County boards, serves on the board of directors of Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center, and is Chairman of the Board of Deacons at Pleasant Plains Baptist Church.
Virginia Coleman
Board Member
For Virginia Coleman, teaching is a lifelong mission. An educator for more than 22 years, she holds degrees in business administration and public administration with certifications in adult education and tax preparation. A former childcare facility owner and director, she served over 18 years in the correctional system as an officer and case manager counselor, and today teaches in a correctional facility GED program while tutoring local youth in her community.
Joyce Bowe
Board Member
Joyce Bowe is a career educator and graduate of Murfreesboro High School, NC A&T State University (early childhood education), and East Carolina University, where she earned her master's in reading education. She taught in Guilford County adult education and the Hertford County school system, and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
What we’ve already done
- people impacted
- 101
- attended in person
- 78
- educational video conferences
- 14
- information requests answered
- 98
our mission
To strengthen caregivers so they can continue providing compassionate care while maintaining their own health, dignity, and quality of life.