Meredith Y. Bell, the 51st Grand Worthy Matron the Golden State Grand Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, will be saluted during a weekend celebration set for Friday, September 23 through Sunday, September 25, at the LAX Marriott Hotel, 5855 West Century Blvd. in Los Angeles. The event theme is “With each day comes new strength and new thoughts.” – “Let’s Move.”
The recognition honors Bell’s recent election to head the organization, which includes wives, daughters, mothers, sisters, widows and members of the adopted sisters of Prince Hall Masons.
The group is actively involved in local community, statewide, and national charitable donations to the City of Hope, NAACP, United Negro College Fund, Aid to Battered Women, Sickle Cell Anemia, Blood Bank, HIV/AIDS, Breast Cancer and Alzheimer’s. Also, the organization has awarded more than $300,000 to college-bound students over the past 25 years.
According to a spokesperson, a vital entity of the organization is the Grand Youth Fraternity whose principal goal is to promote good citizenship training, to build character, to strengthen Christian principles, to train for leadership; and to encourage the pursuit of higher education to meet the demands of present and the future.
Bell has a long history of faith and community activities. Uniting with Redeemer Missionary Baptist Church as a youth, she served as church clerk for 15 years, Trustee Board member for eight years, along with several years as youth director and audio room technician.
Her community involvement includes volunteering for the Sickle Cell Association, L.A. County Health Services, L.A. County Parks and Recreation, Head Start, Daniel Freeman Elementary School and Midnight Mission. She has joined in painting homes for the elderly, collecting shoes for families in Nigeria, raising funds for uniforms and school supplies for local schools and driving the elderly to doctor appointments and grocery stores.
A native of Los Angeles, Bell received her early education at Victory Baptist Church day school, and Holy Cross Catholic and St. Eugene Catholic Schools. She graduated from Inglewood High School where she was elected as the first Black student body president and the first Black drill team captain.
After earning her Bachelor’s degree at UCLA, Bell taught pre-school, elementary and Junior High School in the L.A. Unified School District. She went on to open a business, The Tile Lady, specializing in remodeling kitchens and baths that she has operated for the past 30 years. In addition, Bell is popular disc jockey known as D.J. Sweetie.
For more information, call Adele T. Johnson at (213) 503-2663.