Abuse survivor founded Winged Hope Family Advocacy Foundation

GILBERT, Ariz. - For Jessica Nicely, the pathway to her dream was tumultuous.

She was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in northern Virginia along with her sister.

Her mother abandoned the family when Jessica was just 8-months-old.

"My daddy raised us, and he developed a debilitating alcohol addiction pretty quickly, and so he was a full-time alcoholic," Nicely said. "My whole life and drugs occasionally here and there."

She endured verbal, physical and sexual abuse.

"While I was living it, I was going to children of alcoholic groups in high school and I had a counselor in high school who helped me," she said.

She says that helped her heal, but when given the first chance to leave, she would. In 1994, she moved to Arizona. 

"I came to Arizona to go to Arizona State University," she said.

Two months later, she met the man of her dreams.

"We met in lot 59 at the parking lot at ASU," she said. "We still walk through it all the time when we go to college basketball games. We always walk through that parking lot where we first met. His name is Dave Nicely. He’s wonderful."

He's been by her side since, even through her reign as 1997's Miss Arizona USA.

"I spent the year traveling as Miss Arizona for Prevent Child Abuse America for the Arizona chapter and told my story all around the state of Arizona," she said.

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From then on, she's made it her mission to advocate for child abuse and domestic violence treatment and prevention.

"Winged Hope came about as a result of my time on the foster care review board," she explained. "There was a dad, they’re trying to convince us. He could have time with his children, and he had already sexually abused one daughter and said his plan was to sexually abuse the other daughter who had intellectual disabilities, and somehow this man was sitting across the table from me and that made me angry."

Winged Hope started in 2013. At the time, there were only 13 family advocacy centers around the state. Now there's 22, thanks to help from Jessica and her organization.

"Our goal is to help start the new ones and then help the existing ones," she said.

These centers are a place where victims can be interviewed by police, speak with a therapist, get a medical exam and whatever else they need.

"We want to make sure the space is comfortable and inviting – that it feels a little more like a living room than an interview room," Nicely said.

In the month of February alone, Winged Hope had 204 cases of victims, more than 90 of which were Jessica's.

"Witnessing domestic violence is the single greatest predictor of juvenile delinquency and adult criminality," she said.

That statistic alone is one small driving force behind Jessica's commitment to helping victims.

Her other motivator – two beautiful children of her own.

Sophie, who's now 21, and Spencer, who's almost 19.

"They are amazing. They’re completely different. Sophie is my little planner. She loves to plan everything out," Nicely said. "Spence is the exact opposite – totally chill, completely laid back."

Sophie plans to become a teacher after graduating from ASU. Spencer is off to Los Angeles for an internship in music.

"Motherhood has just been a dream come true for me," Nicely said. "Really, it’s taught me even more patience and again that lesson of no matter what, loving someone unconditionally."

To Jessica, a mother is two-fold.

"A mother is something I don’t have. I’ve never called someone mom," she said.

But to her, it also means…

"Someone who loves their babies always and forever, no matter what," she said.

And for this "Mom on a Mission," she wants others to remember this.

"I want people to release the shame of sharing their past trauma," she said.