Mission / History
| "Bell provides an environment of support and empowerment where people can improve their quality of living." |
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Bell Socialization Services, Inc. began in 1966 as the "Bell Club." Formed by the Jewish War Veterans Auxiliary, Soroptimist Club, Catholic Women's Club, Jaycee Wives, and the York Jaycees, Bell began as a social club for people being discharged from psychiatric hospitals.
Through the years, Bell expanded its mental health services and in 1977, began providing services for individuals with mental retardation.
In 1986, Bell Family Shelter and Bell Bridge Housing were opened to serve York County's increasing number of homeless families.
All of Bell's services follow the psychosocial rehabilitation model, which focuses on assessing individual strengths and needs, setting personal goals, and providing an environment that encourages growth and development. Bell's ultimate goal is to help its consumers live as independently as possible in the community.
Bell Socialization Services, Inc. is a private, non-profit organization that is funded by the federal, state, and local governments, as well as grants and tax-deductible donations.
THE STORY OF THE BELL
"Cast from shackles which bound them, this bell shall ring out hope for the mentally ill and victory over mental illness." - inscription on Mental Health Bell
During the early days of mental health treatment, asylums often restrained people who had mental illnesses with iron chains and shackles around their ankles and wrists. With better understanding and treatments, this cruel practice eventually stopped.
In the early 1950s, Mental Health America issued a call to asylums across the country for their discarded chains and shackles. On April 13, 1956, at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore, Maryland, Mental Health America melted down these inhumane bindings and recast them into a sign of hope: the Mental Health Bell.
Now the symbol of Mental Health America, the 300-pound Bell serves as a powerful reminder that the invisible chains of misunderstanding and discrimination continue to bind people who are living with mental illness.
Over the years, national mential health leaders and other prominent individuals have rung the Bell to mark the continued progress in the fight for victory over mental illnesses.
Mission/History Board of Directors Our Community Partners Staff
