When John Bell arrived in Philadelphia back in 1995, he was HIV+, his body sick and weakened by drugs and disease. His body weighed a mere 110 lbs. No longer possessing the will to live, he says he had come to this city to die.
But the 61 year- old man being honored here this evening is very much alive. More than a decade since that fateful trip that brought him here, he has turned his life around. Clean and sober for eleven and a half years, this is man who understands what it means to struggle, and to dig deep for the best within him.
Today he is an integral member of Philadelphia's HIV/AIDS community, and he spends much of his time teaching others in similarly difficult circumstances that same hope that he had found, all of those years ago.
A member of ACT-UP since 1997, he has spent the last six years working as an advocate for those men and women incarcerated in the Philadelphia Prison system. As a Prison Outreach Specialist with Philadelphia FIGHT, he has spent countless hours visiting offenders behind bars, and reaching out to them.
He's been an active member and driving force within the Philadelphia County Prison Coalition for Prison Health Care. Through that organization, he has helped to increase the number and quality of services for HIV positive inmates.
As an instructor for Project Teach Outside, he helps to turn ex-offenders into successful, responsible community members, integrating them back into society and thereby decrease recidivism.
He has developed strong relationships with residents in many of the area recovery and halfway houses. Through his patient guidance, education, and acceptance, he helps to empower these men and women, so that they may find their own voice, and can learn to advocate for themselves.
Through his own personal struggles with chemical and alcohol dependence, John has forged his own solid foundation, and now mentors other recovering addicts and alcoholics to do the same.
In all of these relationships, John always tries to impart to his students a sense of pride in who they are, in their words, and in their actions.
