Brighten Your Day

Millionaire Takes In 70 Foster Kids Displaced By Hurricane Irma

September 15, 2017

70 foster kids bracing the impact of Hurricane Irma spent five days in an emergency shelter. After the storm passed, they learned their home was without power.

Marc Bell, a millionaire and board member of their foster care community, opened the doors to his $30 million, 27,000 square foot mansion and took in all of the kids.

Photo credit: WPEC

"At noon yesterday, we got a phone call from the SOS Children's Village Florida saying we need help," Marc Bell said. "We've been evicted from our shelters and we don't know where to bring the kids, and we're not getting any help from the county what do I do? And I said bring them here."

It's not clear how long the children will be staying, but they're having a good time.

"Today, we had manicures for the little girls," Marc Bell said. "We got Bobby the balloon guy coming later to entertain them. Yesterday during dinner, we had a singer come who plays guitar and sang songs with them."

There's also a game room with pool, air hockey and arcade games, and a Star Trek-themed home theatre.

"To have these kids feel welcomed and to just feel comfortable, as a mom it just makes you feel like you're doing something good," Mark's wife, Jennifer said. "It's knowing that later on these kids are going to look back and they're going to want to help someone else."

The Bells also set up a GoFundMe page to help make the foster community the kids are from habitable again.