A historical landmark lies at the southern border of Madison County in Earlville, NY. What began as a church in the 1800s has transformed into a lively space for community members to play, learn, and socialize.
The building, which contains a large congregation hall, commercial kitchen, and six adjoining rooms on three stories, is a structurally sound space that now serves as the home of The Bell Tree community center. The organization functions as a community hub for people from all across Madison County as it is the only operating community center within Earlville and Hamilton.
“There aren’t many spaces locally where people of all ages within our community can come together in one place,” said Brian Walker, building committee member at the Bell Tree. “We believe that our organization fills that need and holds the key resources needed to foster a thriving community.”
The Bell Tree hosts events for families like movie nights and art classes, provides free summer lunches for children and offers space for rent. One of its main programs, Roots Nursery School, is an educational program for kids between the ages of three and five. Children engage in a play-based setting that encourages relationship building from a young age.
Additionally, the Bell Tree holds open play, a year-round drop-in program where children are encouraged to spend less screen time, and more time building friendships while creating hands-on experiences. The children are provided with a number of resources such as musical instruments, toys, books, puzzles and more.
Along with its mission to serve as a place where all community members can come together, the Bell Tree recognized the importance of also providing them with access to crucial mental and physical wellness services. According to CNYVitals.org, obesity rates in Central New York are higher than those in New York State overall. This is because many people don’t have access to healthy food options, or physical and mental health services. In addition, people often experience stigma and bullying surrounding body image, which contributes to eating disorders and self-isolation.
In June 2022, we provided the Bell Tree with an $8,000 grant to conduct an architect’s feasibility study to identify ways to optimize the building to expand its healthcare offerings.
“The study was a crucial stepping stone in identifying major points of change that were needed within the building regarding accessibility,” said Walker. “We were also able to pinpoint the safest and most economical renovations needed to reduce operating and maintenance costs, and help expand our rentable spaces for small businesses focused on wellness.”
Trust for America’s Health explains that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have contributed to overall wellness inequities in rural communities by altering eating habits, increasing food insecurity, creating obstacles to physical activity, and heightening stress. Additionally, structural barriers to healthy eating and a lack of opportunities and places to be physically active has also been a large factor.
Bringing the building up to compliance from the survey results allowed the Bell Tree to implement expanded offerings by renting space to small businesses providing healing services. Six small businesses are now open and operating within the Bell Tree’s building, offering year-round yoga classes, acupuncture and more.
From painting classes for children, to Chinese medicine for adults, the Bell Tree is committed to being a one-stop shop where people can easily access a variety of community services. It strives to provide the community with opportunities that help drive a prosperous, shared future.
“We have made decisive progress since the completion of the study that we can now use to substantiate requests for larger amounts of funding,” said Walker. “This will allow us to support more small businesses and entrepreneurs, while enhancing our wellness offerings, by using our space to its fullest potential.”
The Bell Tree now has a clear path and goals for the renovation of its commercial kitchen, with hopes of offering a farmer’s market where residents of the community can come pick out healthy fruits and vegetables from locally grown foods. The Bell Tree continues to build off of the resources of its space to provide a healthy, inviting community center for all.
