Outstanding Leadership in Queens
2003 Honoree of the Queens Federation of Churches
Bernadette Richie
Bernadette Richie was born in Brooklyn and grew
up in Bed-Stuy. She attended the NYC public schools, Franklin K. Lane
High School and Brooklyn College. She grew up with three older brothers
so she never really had to fight for anything. They were always
there for her along with her disciplinarian parents from Barbados.
Bernadette grew up in the Episcopal Church and
was a den mother at the age of 16. She always had a love for children.
She became a Sunday school teacher at 18 and dedicated her life to serve
in the church. At St James the Less Church she is very involved in most
church activities, including the Senior Choir, Vestry, Episcopal Church
Women, St. Faith Guild, and Stewardship Committee. Bernadette is involved
with the youth of the church, and helps with the cooking for various affairs.
She is responsible for the annual Vestry Luncheon Journal each year. She
is never just an observer, but always an active participant.
She is the mother of three biological children,
one adopted daughter and the foster mother of 85 foster children
over a span of 33 years. She is also proud to display her 11 grandchildren,
who are the apples of her eye. Bernadette has always enjoyed working with
children, so becoming a foster mother came very easy for her. She feels
that this is her calling to do God's will. With the help of her husband
Landon, who passed away in 2000, they received children in their home,
many of whom had grave problems such as Autism, Mentally Disturbed, ADHD,
and more.
Bernadette and her husband received the award
of Foster Parent of the Year several times. She also was honored by The
Queens Association of Black Nurses and received an honor from the City
Councilwoman Juanita Watkins as an outstanding black woman in the community.
Notwithstanding her extraordinary involvement with her children, church
and her community, she has never failed to honor and care for her mother
who just turned 100 last August and her mother-in-law, 90, who is on dialysis
and now staying with Bernadette.
Bernadette has always made sure that all of her
foster children were baptized, confirmed and attended Sunday school and
church. She once got reprimanded for baptizing a child without consulting
the proper authorities, but with her attitude of a Sagittarian, she felt
that God was the higher authority and just laughed it off.
There are so many children that need a home. Some
are very appreciative and some are not appreciative at all. But even with
your own children that you bring into this world you may win some and
you may lose some. But once you know that you have done your best, you
cannot worry. One of Bernadette's proudest achievements with the foster
children was a son who was a very difficult child in his younger years,
but graduated from high school, received a four year scholarship to the
M.I.T. School of Engineering, and is now teaching at Harvard University!
So, you see, love conquers all. "Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you" is the strong belief by
which Bernardette Richie lives every day.
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