Bello Machre Celebrates 50 Years!
Bello Machre Celebrates 50 Years!
Golden Anniversary Gala Event
Bello Machre celebrated its 50th Anniversary Gala
Bello Machre celebrated its 50th Anniversary Gala at the stunning Maryland Live Hotel and Casino on October 21, 2022. Sponsors, donors, staff, individuals, and family members gathered to enjoy an evening of celebration.
Guests were embraced by Bello Machre’s signature blue and gold décor along with posters showcasing snapshots of our journey throughout the years. Capital City Swag serenaded guests with sweet harmonies as they danced, dined, and reminisced. The beautiful commemoration was fit for five decades of hard work, commitment, and community building!
Our 50th Anniversary Gala video captures the magic of a historical milestone and a night worthy of celebration and fun.
Bello Machre Through The Years
FOUNDING BELLO MACHRE
The founding parents of Bello Machre had a dream for a better life for their sons and daughters. In the 1960s and early 1970s, parents often cared for their children at home knowing that the only other option for help was institutional life. Many parents, however, could not fathom their children sleeping in a 50-bed ward, having to openly share bathrooms and showers, without any opportunity for organized activities and enrichment.
Bello Machre’s founding parents had a vision. They knew that the possibilities were endless if their children were afforded a safe and loving environment where they could learn life skills and be given opportunities to flourish and live as independently as possible. As special education schools were created and opening across the country, our founding parents were further inspired to open our first campus homes in 1972.
Early Years
In 1970, U.S. schools educated only one in five children with disabilities, and many states had laws excluding certain students, including children who were deaf, blind, emotionally disturbed, or had an intellectual disability. Many children were denied access to education and opportunities to learn.
Prior to the 1970s, students with special needs had limited options and virtually no chance of succeeding by way of the free public education system alongside non-special needs children.
A major social shift came in 1975 when President Gerald Ford signed into law the Education for All Handicapped Children (EHA) Act. The EHA guaranteed a free, appropriate public education to each child with a disability in every state and locality across the country.
The passage of the law would promote visibility and inclusion of the disability community. This law further propelled and solidified the dream of our founding parents.
Through The Years
By the early 1980s, instead of expanding the existing campus program, Bello Machre opened its first community home in Glen Burnie. This was truly the start of the movement for full social inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The dream of our founding parents – for all people with developmental disabilities to live joyfully, feel love, and find meaning in the communities in which they live – was now a reality.
Today
Today, more than 50 years later, Bello Machre has 50 fully accessible homes throughout Anne Arundel and Carroll Counties, which support 200 people and provide 24/7 loving care.
In addition to providing assistance and support to families in the community, Bello Machre has a successful, ever-expanding Community Services Program. This program includes our Meaningful Day and Employment Services, both providing opportunities for independence, productivity, and personal growth. In 2014, Bello Machre opened its Carroll County office, expanding its reach and service area.
Bello Machre proudly continues the legacy of its founding families, fulfilling their mission and vision of providing a lifetime of loving care and opportunities to people with developmental disabilities.
1971
Ground breaking at the Freetown Road Campus in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
1972
Bello Machre opened four homes on the Freetown Road Campus.
1980
Bello Machre opened its first community home.
1981
Established the Bello Machre Trust Fund.
1984
First Annual Golf Tournament – Sponsored by The Sunset Restaurant & Lounge.
1989
Bello Machre opened its 25th Community home.
1991
1st Annual Every Step Counts event, known as the Flag Day Parade-A-Thon, began. Today Every Step Counts raises over $125,000.
1994
Bello Machre launches its Support Service Program providing in-home supports to families.
1996
Opened the first retirement home dedicated to the care of seniors with developmental disabilities.
1998
Completed major renovations on the five campus homes, including the addition of full kitchens in each.
2000
Opened the Respite Care Home in Glen Burnie, Maryland, providing emergency and temporary care to individuals in the community.
2001
Anne Arundel County donated previously leased land to Bello Machre’s campus program.
2003
Bello Machre received its largest planned gift from Hertha and Jesse Adams Trust, providing $45,000 annually.
2004
Bello Machre opened its 50th community home.
2007
Graduated our first Specialized Certified Nursing Assistant Class.
2009
Purchased 3.2 acres adjoining the campus property for future growth and development.
2011
Designed and opened a new, fully-accessible home with state-of-the-art equipment and features in Glen Burnie, Maryland.
2013
Expanded services in Carroll County, Maryland, by a community home that will serve four people with developmental disabilities.
2014
The Nina & Patsy Sage Home on Kentucky Avenue was dedicated through the generosity of Tom & Norma Hoff.
2015
Established the Bello Machre Meaningful Day Program providing individualized meaningful day services, supported employment, and community-based opportunities.
2018
Received the largest corporate gift in the history of Bello Machre from Exelon’s 2018 iTee Charity Golf Tournament.
2021
Phillips Charitable Foundation awarded Bello Machre over $114,000 for the down payment on a new fully-accessible home.
2022
Bello Machre celebrates its 50th Anniversary of providing loving care, opportunities, and guidance to adults, seniors and children with developmental disabilities.
Learn more about Bello Machre as we celebrate 50 years of loving care, guidance, and opportunities.
Thank You For Supporting Bello Machre!
We’ve come so far in 50+ years, thanks to the vision of our founding families and everyone who has helped build our Bello Machre community. Help us continue our legacy of loving care – give and get involved today.