Bridgeport man set to appear on celebrity Facebook show promoting mental health
BRIDGEPORT — A local man will be appearing on a Facebook program Monday to show what he’s doing to boost the spirits of kids in need.
Harry Bell, 37, a school security resource officer at Wilbur Cross School, will be speaking on “Peace of Mind,” actress Taraji Henson’s Facebook show with 11 million followers.
The theme of Henson’s show is “changing the perception of mental health in the Black community – one story at a time,” according to her Facebook page.
Bell will appear on the 30-minute Facebook Watch show at noon Monday, and it will be available to watch for about a week.
On the show, Bell will be speaking about a nonprofit organization in Bridgeport he created called “Color a Positive Thought” that targets youth building and community outreach. It serves primarily the undeserved city youth and communities.
“I had this organization for about eight years now,” said Bell, a father of three. “It started off with a coloring book that I created called ‘Color a Positive Thought.’”
The 12-page coloring book, which is geared to first- through fourth-grader students, is about turning negative situations into positive ones.
The book “snowballed,” Bell said, and has “gained a lot of popularity” with youth in the city
On the show, Bell will also be speaking about a topic that hits home for him: helping to find inner strength when going through tough times.
“This topic is something that I experienced daily, growing up with a drugaddicted mother and violence all around me,” said Bell, who grew up in Trumbull Gardens in Bridgeport.
For many years, Bell has been active in the Bridgeport community, helping children in need. In 2019, he organized toy and coat drives in his community.
Additionally, during the pandemic, he brought over 2 million pounds of food to Bridgeport residents. He continued this effort through early November of this year.
Bell first learned he was going to be on the show several months ago, when one of its producers contacted him.
“I was like ‘Wow.’ At first,
I thought it was a joke,” he said. “I’m not used to things like this happening for me. It was surreal. This was an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
He and his family, including fiancé Keisha Robinson, were flown to California for a week.
“It was mind blowing. You get picked up in a limousine with a chauffeur,” he said. “During that week, they gave me an itinerary of stuff to do.”
The special celebrity guest on Monday’s show will be Chicago rapper G Herbo. Bell said Herbo, through his lyrics, helps children suffering from depression.
Looking ahead
Bell has rented space in his neighborhood to produce educational and therapeutic programs for children.
He plans to create a community center, which he calls a “nest” where those who are living in poverty can go to get “nurtured and built up” to help them into adulthood, he said.
His goal is to send a message of encouragement to children who are going through some of the same experiences he had.
“I don’t want any kid to feel like I felt as a kid,” Bell said. “I don’t want any kid to feel alone and like no one cares. If I can put smiles on every kid’s face, I’m going to work hard and try to do it.”
He said he wants to give kids hope that, like himself, they can also overcome challenges.
“Everybody has seen my upbringing. They watched me grow from this small organization until now,” Bell said. “When people see me rising through different channels in my life, they know we’re in this together.”