By February, the cancer lined her entire abdominal wall. It surrounded her heart and lungs. But Joni Holifield didn’t reveal that to the Baltimore City Council because she wanted sympathy.
She had a “once-in-a-lifetime at the end of a lifetime request,” she said during the Feb. 23 council meeting — to invest further in HeartSmiles, the nonprofit she founded in 2015, and make it the city’s “official strategy for youth success.” The young people it served, affectionately called “heartbeats,” depended on the organization’s professional development, leadership and educational programming, she said.
“Imagine a Baltimore where every young person felt confident in themselves as a leader and as a personal responsibility to help Baltimore be better,” Holifield said. “We are not far from the reality. Please don’t misunderstand, y’all — this isn’t about my legacy. This is about longevity for promise, not a program, that is actively building Baltimore’s best and brightest young leaders.”
Holifield, after a nearly yearlong struggle with ovarian cancer, died this week, prompting an outpouring of condolences and reflections from city leaders and others who worked with her over the years. She was 47.
“Our entire city is grateful for her leadership, for her advocacy on behalf of our young people, and for her commitment to pushing Baltimore closer to the best version of itself,” Mayor Brandon Scott said in a Facebook post.
Holifield was born Nov. 15, 1978, and grew up in West Baltimore. She struggled to make sense of the violence and overdoses she saw on the streets every day. She believed deep down that there must be a better future to build for herself and her neighbors — even if she didn’t know exactly what it looked like as a child, she recounted in a 2022 interview with Baltimore Magazine.
Read More
She worked at McDonald’s while attending Lake Clifton High School and quickly moved up the ranks, becoming a manager of two franchises, according to the magazine. She then started a lengthy tenure at Comcast that elevated her to a director-level position in Pennsylvania with a six-figure salary.
But then Freddie Gray died of injuries suffered in police custody. Peaceful protests turned into civil unrest. Protesters lit fires and destroyed businesses. The governor declared a state of emergency.
Holifield was on vacation in the Bahamas when the riots started.
“Something clicked in me. I got so angry and frustrated seeing them burn down their own community,” she told Baltimore Magazine. “Yes, it’s messed up, but this isn’t the way to do it. Where are the mentors?”
Suddenly, her path to success made sense. She could go back to the communities that raised her, connect with young people and be the good influence she’d been looking for as a child. She told the magazine she wanted to let them know that “regardless of what you think you don’t have, or what you’re surrounded by, you can still make something of yourself. You still have value.”
She called her nonprofit HeartSmiles because she wanted young people to find happiness and love within themselves. She started hosting entrepreneurship and leadership classes at Biggy’s Community Center in West Baltimore, then expanded programming into Baltimore City Public Schools.
Eventually, she partnered with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and connected with its namesake, former New York City mayor and philanthropist Michael Bloomberg.
“Nobody served the city of Baltimore with greater love and determination than Joni Holifield, and tragically, we have lost her at far too young an age,” Bloomberg wrote on social media. “Joni gave hope to so many young people, and her faith in them helped change the course of countless lives.”
The nonprofit serves more than 1,500 young people every year. The organization has also provided more than $1 million in wages and stipends, according to its website. In 2025, it celebrated its first college graduate.
“Beyond the numbers, we offer something even more valuable: a space for young people to crash, burn, learn, and thrive as they chart their own path to success,” the website states.
The nonprofit paid tribute to its founder Tuesday on social media, describing Holifield as a “fierce champion for young people whose lives were too often overlooked.” Last year, Holifield was named the Baltimore Ravens’ 2025 Inspire Change Changemaker, a designation awarded to those who make significant and measurable impacts in their communities.
“She believed deeply in the potential of every young person and dedicated her life to ensuring they had the support, dignity, and opportunities they deserved,” the HeartSmiles account wrote on Instagram. “Joni believed that healing, opportunity, and joy should not depend on a young person’s zip code or circumstances.”
The organization will continue its mission in her absence, it said. Memorial services are still being planned.
“Joni was a visionary and a true servant leader,” Lisa Cooper, the director of the Urban Health Institute at the Johns Hopkins University, said in an online tribute. “To honor her, we must continue to carry her spirit of generosity in our hearts and share it with others to bring health and healing to our communities.”
The Banner publishes news stories about people who have recently died in Maryland. If your loved one has passed and you would like to inquire about an obituary, please contact obituary@thebanner.com. If you are interested in placing a paid death notice, please contact groupsales@thebanner.com or visit this website.
Comments
Welcome to The Banner's subscriber-only commenting community. Please review our community guidelines.