2018 Carol Brady Community Leadership Award Recipient: Reverend Frederick D. Richardson Jr.

Congratulations go to Reverend Frederick D. Richardson Jr., recipient of the 2018 Carol Brady Community Leadership Award!

The award, given each year, recognizes the outstanding efforts and commitment of a community leader who has devoted their time, resources, funds and expertise to advancing maternal and child health in Northeast Florida.

As pastor of Historic Mt. Zion AME Church, Rev. Richardson provided critical community leadership in Coalition efforts to address safe sleep and promote awareness of infant mortality and its impact on black families.  Rev. Richardson and his church were the organizational home of Hold-Out the Lifeline and the Moses Project for nearly 10 years. The goal of both projects was to engage the faith-based community in addressing disparities in birth outcomes and to educate both parents and other family members about safe sleep practices.

Rev. Richardson helped to forge valuable community partnerships with the AME Ministerial Alliance, again contributing to an increased understanding of infant mortality and strategies to prevent it among member churches. Rev. Richardson also played a key advisory role in the seminal JCCI study of infant mortality in Jacksonville. He opened his church to host the launch of this project, reminding all of us that the community most impacted by this problem needed to be part of its solution. He was also a leader in ICARE and a strong voice for its social justice agenda.

Rev. Richardson never said no to any coalition request for support. He hosted the quarterly NEFHSC Membership Meeting for several years in the basement of Historic Mount Zion.  He accommodated our needs for trainings and our advocacy activities. He and his staff were always welcoming and accommodating hosts.

The Brady award recognizes the outstanding efforts and commitment of a community leader who has devoted their time, resources, funds and expertise to advancing Maternal and Child Health in Northeast Florida. The award is given in honor of Carol Brady, former Executive Director of the Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition. During her time as Executive Director, Carol helped grow the Coalition from a small Healthy Start-focused agency within the North Florida Regional Council to a thriving non-profit that leverages resources to reach not only pregnant women and babies, but women in their preconception years, fathers and teens.