A MEF Tribute to Sam Bell - ¡Viva Sam Bell!
As We Prepare for the 8th Annual MEF Soiree in His Honor, We Take Time to Remember Sam Bell’s MEF Story
Sam Bell’s legacy and impact at the Midtown Educational Foundation cannot be overstated. During his years of service to the organization, he truly was a builder in every capacity. He touched many lives during this time, from students to volunteers to staff, to anyone who attended a MEF event.
Sam started at MEF as a tutor at Midtown, connecting with many students and families through this program. Soon after he joined our Auxiliary Board, a group of young professionals committed to serving MEF’s programs through building awareness, social gatherings, and volunteer tutor recruitment. When Sam attended an event to reveal the winner of the Auxiliary Board’s annual raffle, he saw an opportunity to create a fun event around the drawing.
He banded together with the Auxiliary Board to dream up an event that could raise even more money for MEF kids. This is how MEF’s Soiree was born. Before the pandemic, the Soiree grew steadily each year, reaching over 500 attendees at its peak. As a member of the Auxiliary Board, Sam was integral to building this event into the annual must-attend event that it became.
A Sam Bell Soiree journey, which started in 2013. As you can see, Sam was the life of the party, and MEF hopes to keep his partying spirit alive with the return of the Soiree this year.
Sam speaking as chairman of the 2022 MEF Golf for Kids Outing at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club, less than a month before his tragic death.
Sam then shifted his time and efforts to the Midtown Advancement Council. When he took the helm of this council, it was barely functioning and seeking direction to make an impact for the Midtown Center for boys. Through relationships, partnerships, and creativity, Sam’s leadership quickly transformed this committee into a powerhouse. The council increased engagement with the boys at the Midtown Center, collaborated with other leadership councils at MEF, and hitched its wagon to MEF’s annual golf outing. Under Sam’s leadership, the golf outing set fundraising records for two consecutive years and continues to grow because of his impact. Sam was integral to building this as well.
2014 photo featuring Sam Bell tutoring his long time mentee, Ariann, at MEF's Midtown Center for boys. Ariann is now in college at Dominican University and has also come back to Midtown as a summer coach.
However, beyond creating opportunities and raising funds for Midtown and Metro students, the greatest example of Sam’s building at MEF was his relationship building. He began as a tutor at the Midtown Achievement Center where he built relationships with his students and their families. He stayed in touch with these students and families long after their time in the classroom had concluded. As his former students grew into adults, he would take them to concerts, meet them for breakfast or dinner, and work to find them internships and jobs. He even went to Mexico with a former student’s family as their parents renewed their wedding vows.
Sam Bell Receiving MEF Volunteer of the Year Award in 2015. Sam was the ultimate nonprofit volunteer, dedicating time to the programs and to volunteer leadership and fundraising.
Sam also forged relationships with Midtown and Metro staff, with countless volunteers, and was a megaphone for MEF programs everywhere he went. He was constantly looking to create connections that could lead to new opportunities for MEF kids and the organization. He embodied the spirit of service that MEF strives to instill in its kids. Beyond all that, Sam was extremely fun to be around, he was incredibly charismatic, and just the thought of him was bound to bring a smile to anyone’s face who ever encountered him.
While Sam will forever be missed by all at MEF and by his dozens of “best friends,” his legacy lives on through the events he built, the people he cared about, and the lives he changed forever. Sam would want nothing more than for us to celebrate at the 2023 Soiree, as a party with a purpose was one of his favorite pastimes. We thank Sam and his friends and family who are able to make it to this event and who continue to build upon his legacy of supporting MEF kids.
¡VIVA SAM BELL!
Click on the image above to go to the event page.
If you are inspired by Sam’s story or wish to become more involved with an organization that helps Chicago’s youth from underserved communities overcome the shortcomings of their surroundings, visit the “Ways to Help” section of MEF’s website for more information about how you can help.
You may also visit the Sam Bell Memorial Foundation for other opportunities to honor Sam’s legacy.
Together, we can build a better future for Chicago’s next generation.
About the author:
Brent Bridwell is the Former Senior Managing Director of Advancement for MEF and now lives and works in Indianapolis as the Director of Donor Engagement at Gleaners Food Bank. He is also a former mentor for Midtown Center for boys and a dear friend of Sam Bell, spending countless hours with Sam in and outside of MEF events.
Brent also serves on the Board of Directors for the Sam Bell Memorial Foundation.
About Midtown Educational Foundation:
Midtown Educational Foundation (www.midtown-metro.org), through its Metro Achievement Center for girls and Midtown Center for boys, has helped close the achievement gap for underserved students in Chicago since its founding in 1965. Its programming, focusing on academic excellence, virtue development, individual attention, and parental engagement, has led to 100% high school graduation and college enrollment for its students for over 20 consecutive years.