PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A North Philadelphia street was renamed after the late Margaret Wells, an advocate who helped thousands of men and women get their lives back on track from drug and alcohol addiction.
Hundreds turned out to the 1600 block of York Street, which is now named Margaret Wells Way — in honor of her legacy.
Wells co-founded addiction recovery nonprofit One Day at a Time with her husband, Henry T. Wells. She died last November from COVID-19.
"Of course, she's in heaven now, but to pull up and to see so much love and people that showed up for my mom, from Council President [Darrell] Clarke, City Council members, AT&T, so many sponsors, Blue Cross Blue Shield, but to look up at the street sign and to see my mom's name and know the struggle that my mom and father came from," said Melchezedek "Mel" Wells.
Wells is the current president of One Day at a Time, the nonprofit founded by his parents. When his mother died from COVID-19, he said it was a heartache to him and the thousands of lives that she touched through her service.
"My dad and mom was able to help out so many kids get off the drugs and they just didn't deal with drugs and alcohol. We opened our doors to everybody on Sundays," he said.
Wells said his mother Margaret founded ODAAT through prayer. "What I got to see today is God working actually," he shared.
"My mom touched politicians, she touched the guys on the block, the ex-offenders, people's moms, so in some weird way, I got to see my mom."
With the help of his team, Wells said he spent months knocking on doors and gathering signatures to support the street renaming. All of it, he said, was worth it to keep her legacy alive on the block she made a difference on for 35 years.
"We believe in keeping the legacy alive, especially in the African American community," Wells said. "We believe in generations carrying the name so we can know about our ancestors, so we can move into the future with more ambition."