What a year 2020 was (like I’m telling you something you didn’t know, right?). Who would’ve guessed in January 2020 that the year would bring us challenges even greater than the urgent need to fix the kitchen floor at Bell Family Shelter? This January we’re thinking back to last January with incredible gratitude for your […]
In the midst of a pandemic, while many people were stocking up on toilet paper and pulling out puzzles because they didn’t know when they’d be leaving the house again, Nicole was preparing to leave her home. Working, but with no savings to put toward a new place, she knew leaving was going to be […]
Sometime before Halloween, Kevin Traister, Bell’s director of human resources, starts reaching out to business contacts asking them to provide contributions for a special fund. It started in 2012, when he thought to himself that he could do more for the Bell programs during the holidays. He came up with the idea to hold his […]
Two jobs lost, a sublease gone wrong, and an eviction notice. Before they could wrap their head around it all, Bryan and Sky Forde’s family was homeless. “Nothing was in our name and we ended up being evicted because the person we subleased through was not paying the rent [we paid them] to the landlord,” […]
Bell’s annual Personal Achievement award is presented to a current service user who, in the past year, has made significant accomplishments to improve his or her quality of life. The efforts individuals who use Bell services put forth on a daily basis are not typically seen by the general public. And much of the change […]
The Business of the Year Award is given to a business that contributes time and resources to assist Bell Socialization Services in fulfilling its mission within the community. When the pandemic halted their original plans, this year’s nominee stepped up to meet the obligation they set for themselves with a successful Plan B so that […]
Rita Patz was a founding Bell volunteer representing the Alexander Goode Jewish War Veterans Auxiliary. She volunteered with operating the Monday Night Program for more than 30 years, pitched in with many other volunteer opportunities, and was voted Board Member Emeritus by Bell’s Board of Directors. The Rita Patz Liberty Bell Drop-In Center on King […]
Bell’s former executive director described Pauline Whitacre as the kindest, sweetest person he knew. She was a mental health consumer who volunteered daily at Bell for more than 20 years to help fellow consumers – long before the concept of peer support was in existence. She used her own vehicle and time to transport people […]
Margo Atwood was a founding volunteer with Bell, representing the Catholic Women’s Club of York. She volunteered her time to operate the Bell Club’s Monday Night Program for many years and also served as a long-time member of Bell’s Board of Directors. The award named for her is presented to an individual or group that […]
Anyone connected to Bell Socialization Services between 1977 and 2017 likely knew Ike Hileman. Not long after his early days running mental health programs and transporting participants from Harrisburg State Hospital, Ike was selected to be Bell’s executive director. During his 40-year tenure he guided the organization through much growth, including the addition of mental […]