How one man's 'second chance' helped create this nonprofit to help single moms in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- West Philly native Adam McNeil is a great example of making the most of a second chance.

After overcoming multiple life obstacles, McNeil made it his duty to give back and help those in need in Philadelphia and beyond.

"I was born in West Philadelphia. I didn't necessarily grow-up in West Philadelphia. I was back and forth," said McNeil, who is the founder of SistaTalkPHL. "My mom took me out to the suburbs because she thought that being outside of the city would keep me grounded and keep me out of trouble."

After spending most of his life in and out of prison, McNeil says that one day he received a wake-up call.

In 2018, McNeil was involved in a severe car accident in Virginia that nearly took his life.

"I was coming back from a wedding, I fell asleep," said McNeil. "It was during the month of Ramadan, I was famished. I hit the back of a truck at like 90 mph."

McNeil says when people saw his car after the wreckage, they were in shock that he survived.

"The only thing I had in Maryland at Prince George County Hospital was my laptops," added McNeil. "That's what the EMT's recovered from my car, and I created 'SistaTalk.'"

SistaTalkPHL is a grassroots nonprofit that aims to uplift and support single mothers both emotionally and economically.

McNeil, 34, says he was motivated to give back after reflecting on life from a much bigger perspective.

"I asked myself, 'I'm almost thirty plus years old, and I almost died last night...I didn't do anything that would make my mom proud. There was nothing I was leaving for anyone that poured any positivity into my life," he said.

McNeil, 34, asked himself, "'Who got me to this point?'" Which sparked his vision for his movement to help provide all-around assistance for women in need.

With the help from community donations and partnerships, McNeil has fundraised free laundry days, clothing giveaways, kitchen supplies and has even donated over 25,000 diapers for new moms.

"My thought process of as how can we create something authentic and therapeutic for the mothers in the city to tap out to," he said.

McNeil says he aims to create a chapter organization in each city, to help single mothers all-around that may be struggling with various day-to-day life challenges.

"If I can get a thousand authentic residents to donate $20 a month, that's $240,000 that the community is putting back into the community every single year," McNeil said. "I want to change the world, that's it. As crazy as it may sound, that's going to be my mission until they put me in a box."