The 2024 ‘Sand in My Shoes Award’ winners helped foster religious understanding in Miami
One of South Florida’s most prominent philanthropic couples will receive a prestigious recognition for their service to the community.
Philanthropists Trish and Dan Bell, whose gifts have spread millions among cultural arts and religious institutions, to Miami’s underserved and to educational and medical organizations, will be the 2024 Sand in My Shoes Award honorees, the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday. They will be honored at a ceremony at Jungle Island on Oct. 9.
The Chamber’s Sand in My Shoes Award, first awarded to businessman Lester Freeman in 1981, is one of Miami’s most distinguished accolades given to individuals who are deemed to have demonstrated exceptional public service in the metro Miami-Dade area.
In a joint statement, Trish and Dan Bell said: “We are honored to receive the Sand in My Shoes award and proud that the Miami business community embraces our efforts to make a meaningful impact on our community. We are truly grateful for this honor and motivated to continue serving and embracing the Greater Miami area for the betterment of its residents. We are proud to be part of that journey and excited to continue our work together.”
The Bells’ philanthropy
Among the recipients of the Bells’ gifts since the couple moved to Miami in 1977 from Michigan where Dan Bell was an executive with Ford Motor Company are the United Methodist Church, Chapman Partnership, Branches, the Frost Museum of Science and Baptist and Jackson hospitals.
The Bells, fellows of the FIU Foundation, also contributed $14 million toward the funding of a multi-faith, 17,000-square-foot “Trish and Dan Bell Chapel” that started construction in April 2023. The chapel will include seating for 250 people on the Modesto Maidique Campus of Florida International University near Sweetwater.
“The better you get to know people of different opinions, cultures and backgrounds, and understand them, the better you can live together and be more productive as a society,” Trish Bell told the Herald last year when construction began.
Of the Bells, 2021 Sand in My Shoes recipient, David Lawrence Jr., called the couple “two of the finest people I know. Absolute great examples for all of us, and they’ve been exactly that for many decades.”
The Bells, along with gifts from local Christian, Jewish and Muslim groups and individuals, also contributed to funding for a reporter to provide regular news coverage at the Miami Herald and el Nuevo Herald on religion and communities of faith in South Florida.
Community impact
“Trish and Dan Bell’s dedication to philanthropy has had a profound impact on our community, inspiring others to give back, and making a lasting difference in the lives of those in need,” said Alfred Sanchez, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, in a statement. “Their generosity and compassion serve as shining examples for us all, and we are thrilled to recognize their contributions with this prestigious award.”
In addition to Lawrence and Freeman, previous honorees include Alberto Ibargüen, Manuel “Manny” Medina, Penny Shaffer and Antonio “Tony” Argiz.
