Honoree Amir Ford said, "There's a lot of bad stuff going on in my neighborhood. And to come out for something like this, it means a lot."
City Council honored Kashon Crawley, Darrell Jones, Tauhid Collins, Emanuel Patterson, Zahir Perkins, Kasir Sadiq Patterson, Amir Ford and Quashon Brown with a resolution.
The teens were recognized for their heroic actions after a crash at 58th and Washington in Cobbs Creek on April 22, 2018.
Officials say the teens were nearby when they heard the impact and screams for help. City Council honored the boys for breaking through the vehicle's windows, saving the mother and children inside.
But the celebration was marked with grief, as City Council Member Jannie Blackwell explained, "We have a mother and grandmother here for Tauhid Collins, as he is no longer with us."
Collins was shot and killed last month in Southwest Philadelphia. It was the same day his mother, Nikia Collins, graduated from nursing school.
"This right here means a lot to him because he was a good kid. And this right here just shows how much of a good kid he was," said Nikia Collins.
Tauhid's friends say, that's what they strive to be, too.
"I just want to be good. I just want to do good things," said Ford.