As hundreds of people lined up in City Market on Wednesday morning to receive food, clothing, toiletries, and toys as part of an annual Christmas tradition, Mary Mikels stood behind a microphone at the end of the street to offer something else.
“I want to give back to the community because everybody, I don’t care who you are or where you came from, or what you did and what you didn’t do, everybody deserves Christmas cheer and Christmas music. Everybody needs joy. Everybody needs to understand where that joy comes from,” said Mikels.
The 27-year-old Raleigh native performed a series of songs, sharing her talents with the community.
If you got an obstacle in your life, but you’ve got the willpower and the desire to accomplish a goal and pursue a dream, there’s nothing that’s going to stop you from doing it.
“I think back to being a teenager, (and) I think is there anything I would rather do? Is there any place I’d rather be than out here with these wonderful folks that have given their time to do this themselves,” said Mikels.