By Marley Seaman
Bell moved to Baldwin in 1973, and began working for the community as soon as she arrived. Though she needed to get to know the community, she did not have to learn how to help. By that time, she was a past PTA President and the chief of the New York Housing Authority's Tenant Participation and Training Unit, where she spent 27 years informing public housing residents about their rights.
Bell has spent more than 30 years as a key member Baldwin Oaks and contributed to countless blood drives, voter registration efforts and community improvements. On March 11, Bell was given the Tubman award at a ceremony in Albany as the result of her ceaseless work.
"[We] all agreed that she fit the profile of what we were looking for," said Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, a past winner who nominated Bell. The award is presented to women who, like the Underground Railroad heroine, "have lived their lives in service to 'the poor, the powerless and the persecuted.'" Bell was the Region 2 recipient, one of sixteen honorees for the year.
Despite the amount of work she's done, the award came as a surprise to Bell. She said she is only doing small things that come naturally to her.
"I don't think I have done anything really great," she said. "I think all of the recipients are of that same mindset, because everyone nominated said, 'who, me?'"
The achievement award is presented by the Harriet Tubman Humanitarian Achievement Awards Jubilee. The group was established by the March 10th Coalition, which hopes to have the anniversary of Tubman's death established as a state holiday. Her birthday is unknown.
"I have watched her for the past five years in her community," said Goosby. "She's always been extremely adamant that her community receive the treatment it deserves."
A decade ago, Bell helped improve Coes Neck Park in Hempstead by insisting that the Town purchase new playground equipment instead of purchasing used items from other sites.
"Many kids were being hurt because the equipment was old," she said.
Bell reached across the country in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, using her position as a state coordinator for the Coalition of Concerned Citizens to help survivors in the Gulf Coast. The Baldwin Oaks Civic Association began soon collecting money and sending gifts cards. Grand Avenue elementary school held its own charity drive, raising $1,000 dollars. Later, Bell learned that there were storm survivors nearby who also needed her help.
"I volunteered when we realized there were families at the Radisson," she said. "The Civic Association basically gave moneys toward purchasing the items they needed."
They gave more than money. When Baldwin Oaks members brought donated clothes to the hotel, they put extra, caring touches that must have lifted the spirits of the people they were helping. They gathered suits and high-quality clothes to help the hotel residents maintain a sense of dignity and class, and they made sure the clothes were cared for
"We didn't want anybody digging through garbage bags, because it wasn't garbage," Bell explained. Baldwin Oaks members spent so much time at the hotel that a room was put aside for them, and now, as Katrina's victims leave their temporary homes, the group is helping them find furnishings for apartments.
As Bell says, "The work goes on." After receiving her honorary piece of railroad track during the Tubman award ceremony, she joined the other winners in pledging to continue to work for the powerless within their own communities. With more than 40 years of that work behind her, she's clearly not afraid of putting in the effort.
Comments about this story? Mseaman@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
