Our Story

Our mother, Pamela S. Bell, was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. She dedicated her life to shaping the lives of young people and being of service to her community, understanding that her life's purpose was to exhibit God's love to anyone in need. Her life's motto had always been, “If I could just touch the life of at least one person, then my living would not have been in vain.” Our mother's compassionate nature and unwavering faith were evident in every facet of her life.

From the beginning, she was our most reliable supporter, counselor, spiritual advisor, and biggest cheerleader. Her unconditional love and encouragement consistently made us feel as though no goal we set out to attain was out of reach. We stood witness to our mother's resilience and how she overcame every obstacle that confronted her. This example confirmed that no matter what we faced, there was no limit to our greatness and ability to dream. They say that when a mother's love for her children is connected with God's power through prayer, an irresistible force is released that has healing and life-changing authority.

One of our mother's greatest attributes was the unconditional love and compassion she consistently showed to people, be it family, her co-workers, our friends, or the neighborhood kids. Her warm and genuine nature created a safe space for everyone. A smile, an embrace, a shoulder to cry on, or a buddy to laugh with; she was THAT person for many.

As she journeyed through life, she often found herself in roles where she became a second mom to many of the kids she encountered. She was affectionately referred to as, “Ma Bell.” She willingly sacrificed so much to ensure the kids around her were protected, loved, valued, and seen. Our mom was a mother to many, and we are so proud to have been able to share her and her love with others.

Our mother passed away on July 3, 2021, after a short 45-day battle with breast cancer. During that time, our aunt, Daryl Vanessa Bell, willingly stepped in to serve as our mother's caregiver. It was challenging to navigate support while the two of us lived and worked in different states from our mother, often finding ourselves struggling to juggle administrative responsibilities and her care with our grief-stricken emotions that severely impacted our mental health. Our aunt's physical and mental health declined as well, as she watched her baby sister battle over those six weeks. Breaks were few and far between, emotional and physical support were fleeting, placing a strain on our family dynamic. Fortunately, several members of the immediate family were able to join our aunt in Las Vegas – where she and our mother lived at the time – as we all said our final goodbyes to our mom the day before the 4th of July holiday.

For a time, grief was simply grief. Then her motto came back to us: “If I could just touch the life of at least one person, then my living would not have been in vain.” We heard it differently now, less like a reflection and more like an assignment. Our mother was never ours alone. She belonged to every kid she mothered and every person she carried, and keeping her memory private began to feel like the one thing she would never have done. So we chose to put our grief to work and turn what we watched, and what she gave, into something other families could hold onto.

We built this Foundation to honor her life in the two places where it was most fully spent. She gave her years to young people, so we created the Meridian Youth Program to give young people the kind of space she always made for them. She was taken by a cancer that is caught early far more often in communities with more money and more access than the ones she came from, so we created First Light to close some part of that distance.

The Foundation was incorporated on June 17, 2026, and the Internal Revenue Service recognized it as a 501(c)(3) public charity on July 8, 2026.