Ben’s Bells Honors Trent Rowley
Lindsey Jones, executive director of the Diaper Bank, listens to Jeanette Mare’ explain to Trent Rowley how someone would get a Ben’s Bell.
One of the Diaper Bank’s most ardent supporters, Diaper Driver Dynamo Trent Rowley got the surprise of his life April 22, when he was honored with a Ben’s Bell for his community service.
Rowley was nominated for the honor by his close friend Lisa High, who is also a Diaper Bank volunteer extraordinaire. She wrote Ben’s Bells a letter lauding Rowley for his tireless efforts for the Diaper Bank. Every year he holds a massive diaper drive that brings in tens of thousands of diapers and incontinence supplies for the community. He brings the collection to the Fox Theatre and donates them annually at MIXfm’s holiday radio play benefiting the Diaper Bank.
His efforts have won him the friendship of MIXfm’s Bobby Rich, a co-founder of the Diaper Bank and brains behind the annual radio play benefit. Rich was on hand when Rowley received his Bell.
Jeanette Mare’, founder of Ben’s Bells, conspired with the Craig and Lisa High and the Diaper Bank staff to pull off the surprise. Rowley, who works for University Termite & Pest Control, was lured to the Diaper Bank under the guise that there were packrats in the warehouse.
Even though the Diaper Bank office was teaming with people barely containing their excitement, including the Highs, former board member Jennifer Lohse and her sister Tricia, the Diaper Bank staff, Bobby Rich and Jeanette Mare’, Rowley didn’t realize what was happening.
Trent Rowley beams as he shows off his Ben’s Bell.
He and Mare’ had a conversation that couldn’t have been better if it was scripted. He realized who she was and told her that all he had ever wanted was a Ben’s Bell. He asked her how he could get one. Mare’ played along perfectly and told him that he could find one or have someone nominate him for one.
She then pulled the Bell out of her bag and said that in fact he had been nominated and that it was for him. He was speechless and clearly a bit overcome by emotion. Rowley, has adopted the Diaper Bank and goes to extra lengths every year to ensure that community has diapers and incontinence supplies. In 2013 he held a gargantuan yard sale that raised about $2,000 that he used to buy diapers, which he added to those he was collecting. He ended up bringing more than 23,000 diapers and incontinence supply items to the Fox Theatre, Dec. 1.
Click on the photos below to see who was on hand to congratulate Trent.
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Anyone interested in following in this dynamo’s footsteps can find everything they need to do diaper drive on this website. The Diaper Bank relies on the community diaper drives to ensure that Southern Arizonans get the diapers and incontinence supplies they need.