Bridgeport man appears on ‘Today’
Aims to spread hope in the community
Bridgeport native Harry Bell, 38, went from creating a coloring book for his son to creating his own after-school program for the Bridgeport community.
Bell was featured on NBC's “Today” Thursday to highlight that involvement in the community. “We accomplished this for the people of Bridgeport,” he said of his appearance on the show.
His non-profit organization, “The Color A Positive Thought,” all started over 10 years ago with that coloring book. Because he knew his son loved to color, he created “Color a Positive Thought” featuring drawings he drew when he was younger along with positive sayings and quotes. He started selling the coloring book around the neighborhood and said he sold around 20,000.
“I wanted my son to share that this was a special gift that he got from his dad,” Bell said on TODAY. “His teacher wanted me to give each student in the class a book and explain each page.”
Since, Bell was able to help the community with more than just a coloring book. He holds an afterschool program at the Trumbull Gardens MultiPurpose Center at 714 Trumbull Ave. with activities for kids like learning about entrepreneurship, playing basketball, hip hop classes and fitness activities. They also have their own rugby team and serve hot meals.
Bell said he tried to create a program to help kids avoid some of the things he knows they go through at home and on the streets.
“I created the organization because I used to be that kid. I was the kid who grew up in a certain situation where my mom was addicted to drugs and I was also addicted to drugs,” he said. “I am no stranger to some of the madness our kids have to go through.”
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. During the pandemic, he brought over 2 million pounds of food to Bridgeport residents with a partnership with Farmers to Families.
“This is all about letting kids see positive and negative
situations,” he said. “I want kids to understand and accept the circumstances they deal with the negative but also see
the positive to make them succeed.”
Bell wants this program to keep running and says the only way to do so is
with the help of local officials.
“With the support of local elected officials fighting for funding for
this program at the capital [Hartford], we can make this program permanent and help more kids and their families,” he said.