I met quite a few people who wanted to help someone in need, but Phillys Boggs-Ferguson had a compelling story about her neighbor. And she fit all the the rules that apply for all of our Pay 6 Forward stories :
*You can't keep it yourself
*You can't be a relative or someone you live with
*The money needs to be a friend or a neighbor or someone from a church group who is going through a particularly hard time.
*They have to be available RIGHT THEN for the surprise!
"Mother, father, 4 children... bathroom about to fall into first floor. Every time she tries to cook, kitchen gets flooded due to plumbing," Phillys told us.
The trouble is, Kaiya McCrea has nowhere to go. Her husband, who usually cleans schools during the summer, isn't finding luck this year. So we went to West Philadelphia. Phyllis who usually can't walk on her own, seemed to march down the street with purpose.
":I think you deserve some help with all you are going through here," she told her friend Kaiya.
Kiaya sobbed even before we told her about the money.
"Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry" Boggs-Ferguon kept repeating to her.
Kiaya was simply overcome with emotion.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you all. You all are a blessing you don't understand."
I don't think I really did understand how difficult it's been for Kiaya but I wanted to.
She brought us in her home. The kitchen floor has a hole and sheets help stop the water which seems to leak everywhere.
"We're leaking all down here so we're waiting for the people to come fix it."
The tiles are broken in the bathroom floor upstairs. It's all starting to cave in through the ceiling of her living room.
"It's emotional. You want a better situation. I'm trying to get a job to help us," Kaiya said.
So we "Paid 6 Forward" to Phyllis and she reached out her hand to help a neighbor in need.
Kiaya was sobbing much of the time, and I think it was hard for her to take the help. She's a giver. She took care of her mother-in-law until she pased, she's caring for her father-in-law who has cancer and raising 4 children under 12. If she could have written her own story, she'd be the one helping someone else and not receiving help herself. We hope this $600 helps her move in the right direction.
We also have a way for you to be a part of our Pay 6 Forward series. Just follow this link and tell us how you plan to pay it forward. Action News just might show up to help with your surprise.
