A Voice For Empowerment

Two strokes couldn’t silence longtime TV anchor Secily Wilson, who uses her adversities as a springboard for helping other women. 

- Cheri Henderson

SECILY WILSON HAS HER OWN TAKE ON THE LEMons-to-lemonade analogy: When life gives you lemons, sweeten it with faith. Now you have lemonade. You can take nourishment from it. And then share it.

She speaks from bitter-turned-sweet experience.

In 2004, at the age of 39, the former Channel 6 anchor suffered a stroke while on-air with WMFE. Her life was already in turmoil: Her marriage was falling apart, and she was struggling with the demands of being a single mom to two daughters, one in college at the time and one in middle school. Left temporarily without a voice, Wilson’s losses mounted over the next three years: first her marriage, then her job and then her home. Ten years after her first stroke, a second also temporarily stole her ability to speak.

Wilson fought her way back to health and success. The onetime Mrs. Florida has an oft-repeated mantra inspired by her resilient mother, a nurse known to scrub toilets to support her family: “Don’t make excuses. Make it happen.”

A job eventually happened—not in her field of television journalism but in fund-raising—and the opportunity tripped a switch in Wilson’s mind. “I realize now God put me in that position for me to understand the art of philanthropy and nonprofit because He had me create my own nonprofit,” she says. Thus was born WOW Legacy Group Inc., which helps women and children in transition, whether from abusive relationships, divorce, homelessness or even prison.