By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The death of a parent can be almost too much for any person to bear, but when that parent is the one-woman force of nature Bertha Bell, who died suddenly last year at the age of 53, the weight is downright overwhelming.

Bell spearheaded and ran the New Life Women’s Center in LaPlace, and at times seemed to keep the organization, which aids battered women and others in need, going through the sheer strength of her will.

Bell’s daughter, Keeshler Pittman, who had just lost her father a year before, said, “I was devastated at the time.”

And although she had just settled into an apartment in New Orleans and a new job at a beauty salon, Pittman knew in her heart she had to return to LaPlace to carry out the vision of her mother.

It wasn’t that she necessarily feared New Life would fall by the wayside — “I knew my stepfather was going to keep it going,” she said — but rather it was the lessons instilled in her by her mother that made her return.

Pittman was no stranger to the hardships associated with giving everything to help others. Her mother started New Life in 1990, and Pittman watched as the cause came to consume her mother’s life.

“We had people living with us as long as I can remember,” she said.

Although she admits at the time she did not always understand why there were always extra people under her mother’s roof, Pittman said she now knows why her mother felt the need to house those in need.

“It’s based on the whole Christian principle,” said Pittman. “My mother always instilled in me the value of keeping faith. God knows whether people are capable of handling a situation.”

The task before Pittman was daunting, and she said there were times when she thought of throwing in the towel, but little things helped her keep her focus.

“I got a lot of cards after my mom passed, and that was encouraging,” she said.

Since taking the reins at the New Life Women’s Center and the accompanying New Life Thrift Store, which has been renamed the Bertha New Life Thrift Store in Bell’s memory, Pittman has settled into and come to accept her new role.

She said she has been forced to downscale some aspects of the operation while at the same time broadening its scope to serve the needs of locals affected by the faltering economy.

“I’m just realizing that it’s a major need,” she said.

She also hopes to start a weekend youth mentoring program with the help of the Pepsi Refresh Project. She said she has applied for a grant through the project, but in order to win one she needs people to go to refresheverything.com, search for “Keeshler Pittman,” and vote.

“If people can mentor children, it will solve a lot of the problems,” she said. “People complain about crime and the youth, but they don’t take any sort of initiative.”

So, much like her mother, despite overwhelming odds and numerous hardships, Pittman seems unable to look at someone in need and turn them away.

She is also aiming to instill the values she was taught in her own daughter. The 12-year-old volunteers at the thrift store Saturdays.

“My mom started me when I was 14 or so,” said Pittman. “I’m trying to teach her not to be self-centered.”

Though she is now in the role of caretaker and teacher, Pittman knows she still has many lessons to conquer.

“One thing I had to learn is I can’t do everything,” she said. “The main thing that’s difficult for me is I totally have to rely on God to take care of me. I can’t be focused on my own needs.”

It was a way of life for her mother and a way Pittman has come to accept.

Still she knows better than to try to be a replacement for her mother, instead tackling problems in her own way.

“It’s not about her starting this,” said Pittman. “It’s about the whole purpose behind it. I don’t think I’ll ever meet anyone like my mom.”

Bertha New Life Thrift Store is located at 650 W. Fifth St. in LaPlace. For more information of to volunteer call 985-359-2398 or email keeshler@ live.com.