SaverLife Prize Winners Plan to Use Money to Fulfill Their Education Dreams

The Tennessee couple’s prize money will restart long-deferred dreams of a college education.

After a difficult few years, Khadijah Dixon started the summer of 2021 determined to change the trajectory of her family. 

In 2018, she and her fiance, Charles, were supposed to start college. Their plans were derailed when their infant daughter suffered medical complications and lived for only 30 minutes. 

In 2019, they again made plans to attend college, but their plans were put on hold again when their second daughter was born with one kidney and required specialist care to survive. Charles had to take a cut in his hours to drive to her medical appointments. 

Then came the pandemic—when all dreams were put on hold and college felt impossible. 

Khadijah kept believing in her dream, especially when she found out she was expecting another child in September 2021. Over the summer she saw an ad for a story contest from SaverLife asking people to nominate someone who was trying to get their life back on track after the pandemic. Inspired by the stories she read from other SaverLife members, Khadijah decided to enter.

Khadijah nominated Charles, noting how he had sacrificed income and his own education dreams to support their family.

“He [has] sacrificed a lot for us, and I want him to be able to think about himself and go to college and start a career,” Khadijah said. “I want him to follow his dreams.”

In late August, Khadijah and Charles went to what they thought was a meeting about the story contest. Instead, SaverLife representatives surprised the couple with the news that they were the grand prize winners and would each receive $2,500.  

“It’s gonna help better our schooling and our lives,” Khadijah said. “It helped me realize I can finally start achieving my dreams.” 

The couple plans to use the prize to pursue education. Charles wants to go to culinary school and Khadijah wants to go to business school. They hope to start their own business together one day. 

SaverLife also gifted $10,000 to Food on Foot, a local nonprofit that provides food to children. 

“The community that supports Food on Foot makes it possible for us to deliver these 2,000 food bags to the schools,” State Sen. Jerry Sexton, R-Bean Station, a Food on Foot board member, told the Citizen Tribune.

WATE, WVLT, and Citizen Tribune covered the event.