Event honors Mae Ola Riddick
By Rachel Chinapen,
New Haven Register
Posted: 09/25/13, 8:47 PM EDT |
Call Rachel Chinapen at 203 789 5714.
NEW HAVEN >> True to her legacy of feeding the community, friends and loved ones of the late Mae Ola Riddick grilled hot dogs and burgers Wednesday night as they gathered to celebrate her life. Riddick, 71, died Sept. 18 after a long battle with illness. A former alderwoman and well-known city activist, Riddick was viewed as a mother by many. “She did everything for everybody, but she never did anything for herself,” said Byron Breland. Breland, who knew Riddick for more than 30 years, referred to her as a “mother figure” for himself and his brother. Breland said he met Riddick when he came to Elm Haven to run a youth intervention program. Shortly thereafter, he found himself driving Riddick to brunches, dinners and meetings with political figures. “I was driving Miss. Daisy,” he joked. Riddick served as president of the Elm Haven Resident Council and was credited with attracting a $46 million HOPE VI grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The money was used to replace Elm Haven housing with The Homes at Monterey. Alderwoman Jeanette Morrison, D-22, said it was largely Riddick’s efforts to revitalize the Dixwell area that brought her to the ward. While Morrison only became personally acquainted with Riddick in 2011, she said she held Riddick in high regards. “We came in contact and she was very inspirational about the role of an alder person, how to be a successful alder person and she was always very respectful to me,” Morrison said. Riddick served on the Board of Aldermen for 12 years. Former Alderman Yusuf Shah, D-23, said he served with her for at least four years, learning many lessons from her along the way. “One of the things that she told me when I first got on the board was that the best thing to do is basically to sit down, shut up and listen for at least a term,” he said. “After you learn the system, then you’ll be able to navigate it freely without any problems.” Riddick “commanded respect” because of her wealth of knowledge and experience, he said. “I don’t think she took anything to the grave with her, I think she shared just about everything she knew with the community,” he said. Riddick also is remembered for her spirit during the holidays. On Thanksgiving, she fed more than 300 families with turkey, trimming and vegetables, said New Haven Police Department Lt. Patricia Helliger. Come Christmas, Riddick made sure every child had a gift to unwrap, Helliger said. “She is truly a giant, we need other folks to be like that,” Helliger said. Her service spread beyond the alder manic duties and holiday drives. Metashar “Cindy” Bankhead-Dillon said she worked with Riddick to “build the whole man up.” A few months ago Riddick walked Bankhead-Dillon around the city to look at vacant spots; the pair was looking for a location to open up a service center for people looking to get back on their feet. “She was a doer, she got the job done by any means necessary,” Bankhead-Dillon said. Bankhead-Dillon said she is already planning to start collecting donations and food for the annual Thanksgiving drive. “New Haven really has suffered a loss,” Shah said.
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Because of the loving kindness of our sponsors, volunteers, and supporters we are able
to conduct this year's food drive in honor of Mae Ola Riddick. We gratefully thank our sponsors, volunteers, and supporters for making this year's food drive free and open to 1000 households of the
Greater New Haven Community.
THIS FORM IS CLOSED FOR 2013.
