CityView Magazine - Fayetteville, NC
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1510651
12 November 2023 World view Combining volunteer work with her love of travel, military wife Magda Baggett sees it as her mission to help others who may be less fortunate. From welcoming international students to exploring distant cultures, she has pursued a lifetime of learning. BY GARY MANGUM | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JULIA WALL S he grew up helping others in Puerto Rico. As she puts it, she was "born into volunteering." Her father was a member of the Rotary Club; her mother instilled in her the concepts of generosity and improving the lives of others. Later, as a military wife, she took those skills learned as a child to other parts of the world as she pursued her love of travel. For that combination of volunteerism, curiosity and exploration, Magda Baggett will be recognized as one of four winners of the fourth annual CityView magazine Power of Giving Community Impact Awards. e awards recognize Fayetteville residents who give selflessly and work behind the scenes to improve the lives of others. "I'm definitely honored," says Baggett, who is 78. "You do things not for the credit but for the good feeling that you get when you do things for others. … You don't look for credit. It was nice that somebody thought of it." Carolyn Justice-Hinson, communications officer with the Public Works Commission, works with Baggett in Rotary International, one of the largest service organizations in the world. "Magda is not just a volunteer. She truly cares about people and helping others," says Justice-Hinson, who nominated Baggett for the award. "Over her lifetime, she has significantly impacted the lives of so many because she cares deeply about people and is willing to step up and lead." Baggett was with friends at the beach and missed two phone calls to give her the news that she won. When her husband, Dave, told her "they're looking for you," she answered the next call. "I started to cry," she says of hearing the news. "It was the best thing because my friends were there." Magda Baggett will be honored at CityView's Power of Giving Community Impact Awards presented by PWC. Tickets are available at cityviewnc.com. 2023 POWER OF GIVING COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARDS