Concert Benefits Bell Center
by Sam Griswold
CBS 42 News
2008-06-14 20:25:16.0
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Developmental delays affect hundreds of kids born each year in Alabama with disorders such as down syndrome, spina bifida, and cerebral palsy. The Bell Center has been helping these kids for more than twenty years and received some help of its own Saturday night.
Upraising music filled North Gardendale Baptist Saturday night as a trio of bands came together for a good cause.
"When no one else will take them and help them, the Bell Center will bring them in and get them up to speed to get them into regular schools. I mean, it's a great opportunity for us to help someone, " says Colyn Luchterhand, lead singer of Cool Reign.
The band placed an ad on the internet and got in touch with Tonya Burford who organized Saturday night's concert.
Burford says, "Hopefully it's going to be bigger than what I'd imagined... raise a lot of money and hopefully get them the building they need to accommodate the kids, because there's so many kids that are born with all kind of things that could benefit from a place like this. Teralyn probably wouldn't be where she is now if it wasn't for them."
Tonya and her daughter know first-hand the how founder Betty Bell has effected so many lives - growing the program from five children in a sunday school class in 1984 to the 112 children that graduated this past May.
"All children have potential. We're just trying to help them reach that potential. With some children we're thrilled if we can get them to hold their head up for five seconds; others leave our program walking and talking," says founder Betty Bell.
Burford says, "We wanted to do something to help, to pay them back, just anything we could think of, and I was just sitting there one day and was like, we know a lot of bands. I wonder if somehow we can pull this together, and it just kind of snow-balled."
Donations from Saturday night's concert go towards the Bell Center's new building fund. The growing program looks to expand operations with a new location at Liberty Park that they hope to be in by the end of 2009.
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