"If I leave the world today but changed someone's world yesterday, I have served my purpose."

 

Inspiration

First and foremost, I must give thanks to the woman who birthed me, not literally, but I never felt the difference. To the woman who gave me a chance and loved me before I ever knew how to love myself. To my mother, who showed me that I mattered enough to be cared for. Thank you for helping me carry the BAG when I didn't have the tools, resources, or strength to carry the load myself. Although my mother is no longer with me in the physical sense, her values, love, and compassion, are the force behind my mission in life. I will continue to extend the love she gave to me, to others, and provide the tools necessary to give members of our community their chance to live a fulfilling life.

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Education

Nishan Pegues is the founder of LoveYourBAG. She has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Hospitality and decades of experience in humanitarian work within different communities locally and abroad. Nishan decided to create a healing community of her own by founding this nonprofit organization. Since the early 2000s, Nishan has volunteered in numerous soup kitchens. She has been involved in clothing drives in NYC and internationally. She believes in doing the work herself and is not afraid to get her hands dirty to help people in need. Whether it be feeding the less fortunate, participating in clothing drives, facilitating fundraisers, sponsoring back-to-school giveaways, working within the mental health diaspora, Nishan does not hesitate to provide a helping hand to lessen the load. 

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Community Service

She has participated in “The NAMI Walk Against Mental Health”, a variety of AIDS walks, and also walks for Prostate Cancer. Nishan has provided services to “Spectrum Warriors,” a nonprofit dedicated to the autism community, providing family support and engagement. She also volunteers at the “Manny Cantor Center” providing hot meals to hundreds of senior citizens. Nishan believes that hunger is an issue that shouldn’t go unnoticed, and continues to volunteer with organizations such as “City Harvest” to fight hunger in New York City, “Elmcor Golden Phoenix Senior Center” to provide turkeys during the holiday season, and continues to donate as well as volunteer, in a variety of holiday drives. She is also a youth advocate and believes that no child should be left behind. She helps families annually by providing children of all ages with hundreds of book bags, filled with school supplies for the school year. 

 

Missionary Work

Nishan has worked with a wide demographic and continues to do so through different facets of missionary work. As a member of the “Disaster Relief Association,” she has traveled abroad to further broaden her reach in aiding those in need. She expanded her missionary work in 2016, traveling to Haiti to rebuild homes and bring relief to families affected by the catastrophic earthquake Haiti experienced in 2010. She didn't stop there, Nishan then collaborated with “All Hands All Hearts” to build schools for the youth in the Bahamas, while also rebuilding homes for families who were affected by natural disasters. She has also been a crucial contributor to causes such as Flint Michigan and Hurricane Sandy. 

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As Nishan continued to contribute to those in need through humanitarian and missionary work, she realized that she wanted to do more. She wanted to create a space of inclusivity with healing, love, and relief for those in need. Nishan believes in helping one person at a time until she is able to help everyone globally. She believes that everyone can persevere in the face of challenges and obstacles with love and support, ultimately providing hope to individuals and families. Thus, Nishan founded LoveYourBAG in 2020 and continues to expand her organization in order to help communities locally and abroad.