Blackie Bell Named to Servant Leadership Award

March 17, 2011 0 Comments

CENTRAL — Blackie Bell, owner of Blackie’s Place, a neighborhood bar located at 10010 Sullivan Road, was presented Central’s Servant Leadership Award during Central Business Award ceremonies at Elegant Memories.

The award was presented by Candi Lee, business manager of the Central City News.

Her presentation below shows that things are not always the way they seem and that character, love of our fellow man, and service to the community don’t always come from the places we expect.

Presentation of Central’s Servant Leadership Award to Blackie Bell of Blackie’s Place

For those of you that don’t know me, I am Candi Lee, and I’m the Business Manager at Central City News. In that position, I see most incoming notices about events happening in Central.

Over the past few years, I began to notice that every time there was a need or someone was hurting in Central there would be a jambalaya or some other event to raise money for that person or their family at Blackie’s Place. Here are a few…

• Ted Mayeaux, a chiropractor in Central who had a stoke

• Tony Couvillon who had a car repair shop and had passed away from cancer

• Jalacee Kemp, a 19-year-old who passed away and the family needed help with funeral expenses

• Ricky Rarick who lost his left eye in a four-wheeler accident. His brother, Mike Rarick, is a city police officer

• Tristian Pertuis, a nine-year-old boy who has Cerebral Palsy.Insurance wouldn’t pay for alternative therapy that is needed monthly to help him learn to walk without a cane.

• Mathew Soileau who passed away last September. He left a wife and two small children. He is the son of Lt. Ernie Soileau of the EBR Sheriff’s Office.

When we started advertising our awards reception in the paper and asking for the citizens to send in their nominations for the various categories, Blackie Bell’s name was sent in time and again for our Servant Leadership Award.

Blackie is a father, grandfather, and business owner of nearly 20 years in the city of Central.

As I investigated the nominations, I was told over and over the same thing about Blackie: No matter what you ask of him, he never says no. He would give you the shirt off of his back. Often times he supplies what is needed for a benefit at his own expense.

Over at Blackie’s Place, Blackie Bell, his employees, a host of off-duty BR city police officers, sheriff deputies, and other law enforcement personnel and just plain folks, spend a good bit of time figuring out how to help people in need in Central, and, as a result, they are changing lives in this community.

I am proud to present this award to Mr. Blackie Bell.