PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Holiday giveaways are plentiful in the City of Brotherly Love this time of year. And one woman wants to make sure certain people are not forgotten this season.
Nikki Bagby, founder of the nonprofits A Humbled Heart and The International People’s Storehouse, has made it her goal every year to pay forward the love and support she has received through the years to help lift up a Philadelphia neighborhood that has faced many challenges.
This month, the focus of her Joy of Giving holiday celebration series is on children who have incarcerated parents.
“We not only have families and children who have incarcerated parents, but we have parents who have lost a loved one to murder. We have parents over the years that have lost a loved one to illness,” Bagby said.
“So we want to make sure, although they've been through something tragic, that we turn it around and take their purpose into pain and sprinkle an extra little bit of love for them — just to let them know: We're here, we see you, and we just want to support you.”
The celebration will serve thousands of kids in and around Philadelphia’s Nicetown neighborhood, where Bagby grew up.
“I know a lot of community partners have been working very hard to just give some normalcy to a community where we've had some of the highest homicide rates over the last past 10 years,” she said.
“So how do we do that? We meet children where they are. We bring athletes and actors, recording artists, CEOs of companies, electricians, anybody that can come — to not only give them a word of encouragement, but to make their day full of joy just for one day, where they can stand still in time and just have fun.”
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Sharni McIntyre is a single mother of two daughters, 8 and 18 years old. Her family is one of those being showered with gifts, dinner and “a little extra love.”
“To know that that parent is missing, and to know that their child sometimes feels a void, you know, saddens the other parent's heart. I can't really do anything about it but try to kind of keep that bond,” McIntyre said.
“It feels really great, knowing that people care about you and people love you.”
Bagby says the mission is personal to her.
“I was that person. I was a young mom, 18 years old, trying to figure life out. Me and my husband — there was always someone that was in our circle that would reach out to help us, and I've always wanted to pay it forward.”
Bagby says her goal is to inspire hope and joy for the community — “so we're just going to continue to change the trajectory for our young people and give them a day of joy in our families.”
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