- April 18, 2024
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After getting past his sophomore year, the only thing Dante Bell wanted do was find a stable home. Thanks to Bill and Debbie Robinson, he’s found one.
Last year, Bell’s biological mother ran into financial difficulties and couldn’t pay her bills, so she moved in with coworkers and instructed him to find somewhere to live. Needed a place to stay, Ryan Appling, the youth pastor at First Baptist Church of Bunnell, took Bell in to stay with him a while.
Between Appling and the church’s head pastor, Eric Trawick, Bell moved from house to house, until church member Bill Robinson got involved.
“I was praying about the situation, and I asked my wife (Debbie) if he can stay with us for a while,” he said. “I know that Pastor Eric and Ryan have kids, and we didn’t have any.”
“When Bill first asked, I said no,” Debbie replied. “I told him that I wasn’t going to keep passing him around. I told Bill that if we were going to take him in, it was going to be forever or until he could financially live on his own, so that’s what we agreed to do.”
The Robinsons became Bell’s legal guardians last July, and their sacrifice and care for Bell’s livelihood is appreciated.
“It meant a lot for them to take me in because I knew I was going to a great home,” Bell said. “I knew them three years before this all happened, and we’ve always had a good relationship. I would call them up and ask how they were doing, so I thought this was definitely where I needed to be. Everything has worked out great since.”
When Bell first moved in with the Robinsons, he was struggling in the classroom. Passing the 10th grade didn’t come easily for him.
“I never really had the time to focus on what really matters,” he said. “When I was living with my biological mom, I never sat down and gave school any thought.” As Bell emerged as a great athlete, he sought to play sports, but Bill Robinson assured him that grades came first in his house, and Bell had no problem with that.
“I went to his school and spoke with the counselor about his grades, and from there, I closely monitored his schoolwork every day his first few months with us,” Robinson said. “After he brought his grade point average up to a 3.0, I pulled back, and he’s kept at it.”
Bell has not only excelled in the classroom, but he’s also turned around his fortune in athletics. Just two years into weightlifting, Bell was crowned the Five-Star Conference Champion, his first win, on March 12.
“That was probably the biggest moment of my life,” Bell said. “Winning that championship made me reflect on how the Lord is blessing my life and what things I can accomplish, going forward. I also wanted to show coach (Duane) Hagstrom that all his time and hard work he spends with his lifters is paying off.”
“I almost cried myself,” said Bill Robinson, who was in attendance at the conference tournament. “Just knowing how hard he works and how dedicated he is put a big smile on my face.”
Though Bell shares a special bond with Debbie, or “Momma D,” his relationship with Bill is unique.
“I never really knew my real dad, because he died when I was young, so to call Bill my dad is a great opportunity,” Bell said. “He never had any kids, so I’m like his first son, and that’s how he treats me, like a father figure.”
Although Bell doesn’t see his biological mom anymore, he still believes she cheers for him.
“I wish I could see her in the stands at my games in the future,” he said. “But, if she never comes, then life goes on. My dad and my mom are always at my events, and that’s all the inspiration I need.”
“I give them all the credit for what my life is today,” Bell added. “This was a really big stepping stone in all three of our lives. You don’t meet people like this every day that want to do something for young kids like me, to take them in and try to set them in the right direction.”
