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.