Forget Uncle Sam; Aunt Bev wants you at Turning Points

Decked out in a white vest with a red handkerchief and a tall white hat with blue band and white star, Uncle Sam barks from his famous 1917 recruitment poster, “I want YOU for the U.S. Army.”

While Uncle Sam is a symbol for America and not a real person, Manatee County native Beverly “Aunt Bev” Hill, who graduated from Manatee High School in 1988 and attended the then Manatee Community College, is quite real but generates that same “You just can’t say no to Bev” effect on people when she is trying to motivate for causes she believes in, her friends say.

“Beverly is high energy,” said Don Hill, a case manager at Turning Points (and no relation to Beverly).

One of the causes Hill believes in strongly is the work being done at Turning Points at the Bill Galvano One Stop Center, 701 17th Ave. W., Bradenton, where the homeless and those at risk of being homeless in Manatee County can get a variety of services by just walking in off the streets.

For years, Hill, a longtime instructor and community health leader in Tennessee, followed the work of her hometown agency. Most recently in Tennessee she was a system of support coordinator for people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities and some with addictions and mental health issues. Hill has also volunteered many hours with several nonprofit organizations through the years in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

Several months ago, Hill returned home to Manatee from Chattanooga and soon counted herself as the luckiest woman in the world when she applied and found a favorable fit in her new position at Turning Points. Hill has always had a penchant for working in leadership roles, and advocating for vulnerable populations.

Hill, who holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and has done graduate studies at the University of Tennessee in secondary health education, has been named manager of the Open Door Resource Center at Turning Points, which is the 11 stations that provide free services to the needy from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The 11 stations include reception, new client intake, new client ID, laundry, mail, barber, showers, bathrooms, which include hygiene kits, food stamp assistance, a computer lab where clients they can receive job assistance, and a donation center where clients can get clothing and shoes. The center also provides assistance with obtaining Florida ID cards and birth certificates as well as transportation and notary services.

The difference between a client having a great experience in those 11 stations and a bad one is often as simple as a friendly, efficient and caring volunteer, Hill said.

“Our volunteers are the faces that people see when they come through the door,” Hill said last week. “We want them to have compassionate outlooks and friendly faces that will allow our clients to come through the door and feel like they have been wrapped in a warm hug.”

Since Hill is the only true full-time paid employee in the Open Door, she relies on hundreds of volunteers to man the stations, at least two per station.

“It takes 28 to 30 volunteers for us to operate on a perfect day,” Hill said.

As one of her first missions as the new manager, Hill wants to expand her volunteer scope and, like her mentor in red, white and blue, has officially put out the word that she needs recruits who not only have warm hugs but varying skills.

“We could really use more people who are bilingual,” Hill said. “We are seeing a larger and larger percentage of Hispanic individuals who are coming through and we would like to be able to serve them more readily. I would also be interested in talking with people who distinctly have backgrounds in the mental health field and who have worked with people with addictions.

“And, we would love people who are multi-talented, who have skill sets in a couple of different areas because we could certainly put them to work not only in our Open Door program but even in the on-site medical and dental clinic or at the front desk simply greeting people and answering questions about our many services.

“If anyone has skills in organizing we could assign you to the mail room or laundry. We have pretty good processes in place there. It’s just a matter of having people come on board who are willing to learn those processes and to help us implement them.”

Hill said Turning Points could use a few volunteer barbers, even for a few hours a day and not for the whole shift.

Besides recruiting more volunteers with specific skills, Hill lists several other aspirations for Turning Points in her tenure.

“I see a lot of opportunity for building bridges between us and other agencies here in Bradenton, particularly in the mental health community,” Hill said.

“A lot of our clients do have struggles that they deal with every day that are very real and sometimes their behaviors play out here,” Hill added. “Instead of turning those people away by banning or trespassing them, I would like to see them get the help they need so that they are able to take a step in a better direction in their life.”

Hill will accomplish what she sets her mind to do, said Adell Erozer, executive director of Turning Points.

“When I first met her my reaction was, ‘Wow, this is a keeper,’ ” Erozer said. “Beverly has been a fantastic addition to our staff. With her experience and background it’s been a very nice fit for what we are trying to do here.”

A lineage of strong Bradenton women

Manager of the Open Door at Turning Points is historically not a position for a shy and retiring wallflower.

The post was made famous by Martha Childress, considered a trailblazer at Turning Points for her dedication and skill, said Cheryl Hedger, who works with Hill as volunteer coordinator.

“I worked with Martha Childress for five and a half years and her experience and compassion working with the homeless and those in need was a great asset to her position,” Hedger said. “She gave me a lot of insight on the needs of those we serve which in turn helped me to be a better volunteer coordinator. I was able to pass on that information to our volunteers.”

“I have only known Beverly for a few months but in that time it has become very clear that she is the right person to serve as our Open Door coordinator,” Hedger added. “She’s a great organizer and connects immediately with volunteers, clients and staff. She tackles each situation immediately and is great at resolving issues as they arise. Most important for me is that she is a team player and always willing to work together.”

It took a few attempts to find the right person to replace Childress, but, in Hill, they have found a woman was was raised by a small group of independent women to be strong.

Hill’s mother, Jan Hill, was a single mother. She was a nurse at Manatee Memorial Hospital for 30 years and held multiple leadership roles there. Now she is retired and enjoying a quieter life, Hill said.

Jan Hill’s twin sister, Joanne Eddy, who passed away last year, was a social worker for the Sarasota County School District for most of her career.

Jan and Joanne’s mother, Faye Eddy, was also service minded and instilled those values in her daughters as well as her granddaughter.

“These were the women who raised me to be like I am now and to work for the common good,” Hill said.

To volunteer: www.tpmanatee.org or call 941-747-1509 and speak to coordinator Cheryl Hedger.

This story was originally published June 5, 2017 at 5:24 PM with the headline "Forget Uncle Sam; Aunt Bev wants you at Turning Points."