Bethel Community Spirit Comes Alive This Holiday Season

Community spirit is high this holiday season as residents come together to help the town and their neighbors feel festive by giving of their time, talent and money to help others be happy this holiday.

Dozens of volunteers came to downtown Bethel Thanksgiving weekend to dress the lamp posts in holiday attire and build the manger at P.T. Barnum Square.

Board of Finance member Bryan Terzian said, “I thought it was great to see so many from the community come out and decorate the town holiday spirit.”

Bethel resident Tim Martin said, “It was great seeing how many people turned out to help Bobbi Jo Beers and the Chamber of Commerce make our town look festive for the holidays. I was happy to do my small part as a resident of our town and it was great to see so many others chipping in. Special kudos to Brianna Varano for having cookies out for the volunteers along with her “be kind” message! It was nice seeing kids involved in the efforts. This type of neighbor joining neighbor to help is one of the many things I love about our town.”

Another effort was Brotherhood in Action, a local organization that helps feed those in need in Bethel. Donation bins were placed at Caraluzzi’s and St. Mary School to collect food to help feed over one hundred families. they wrote on their Facebook page:

“Many thanks to the drivers who showed up on this first legitimately chilly morning of the season to deliver Christmas cheer to 105 Bethel families. We at BIA wish you and yours a safe and happy Christmas and New Year! Next up on the schedule will be our Easter food drive, starting February 27, and the action will take place the week of March 20. We’ll see you then!”

The third grade class of Miss Villamana of St. Mary School helped the Scotty Fund by donating over three hundred dollars. The Scotty Fund is a local all volunteer nonprofit that helps children affected by cancer. Linda Anderson started the charity in memory of her 3-year-old son Scotty who passed away from the disease.

St. Mary students cut and packaged lunch box notes and sold them at the Christmas Craft Fair. “Students took a vote as to what they would like their money to go towards, and the decision was unanimous: hospital bills,” the school wrote on their Facebook page.

The fourth graders at St. Mary sang to the elderly at the Bishop Curtis House to brighten their spirits while the fifth grade class sold popcorn to collect funds for the Dorothy Day Hospitality House.

One more person spreading joy this season is Heather Roles, a single mom and former Bethel resident who came up with the idea to collect messenger bags and purses filled with gift cards and toiletries to help the homeless. Roles and her 14-year-old son Elijah are giving the bags to men and women living on the streets of Danbury and Norwalk on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Do you know of someone else in the community doing good things? Email wendy.mitchell@patch.com to nominate them to be an “Everyday Hero.”

Photo: St. Mary School