By Kathy Chouteau
Local resources, vibrant performances, and the unveiling of a mural honoring community icon Mother Moore were all part of Community Awareness Day at the Corrine Sain Senior & Family Community Center in North Richmond.
The Community Housing Development Corporation (CHDC) holds the event as part of “NeighborWorks Week,” an annual week of service illustrating how the NeighborWorks network strengthens communities by working together with local residents.
With the theme “Pathway to Resources,” the event featured vendors offering a variety of resources and swag to community members. Food, fun, music, raffles and the unveiling of Mother Moore’s Garden of Prayer mural also marked the festive day.
Garden of Prayer was painted by celebrated muralist Phil Yeh and students from Verde Elementary School. The vibrant mural features Carrie Lee Moore—a 104-year-old affectionately known in the community as “Mother Moore” who was on hand for the unveiling—and her late friend, Corrine Sain, after whom the center is named. The depictions of the North Richmond duo appear on the mural alongside renderings of flora and fauna on a prominent wall inside the garden.
The center’s onsite garden was dedicated in honor of Mother Moore in March 2024 by the CHDC and employees from Chevron Richmond, who are longtime volunteers and financial supporters of the center. Veronica Robles, project coordinator at Chevron, was on hand for the mural dedication.
“It’s incredible to see something that started as a small employee volunteer project become a festive and celebrated place bringing people together.”
“It’s incredible to see something that started as a small employee volunteer project become a festive and celebrated place bringing people together, honoring legacies like Mother Moore, and providing delicious vegetables,” Robles said.
Since the garden’s dedication, Mother Moore told the Standard she has been using vegetables from it in her salads and in various dishes that she cooks.
Don Gilmore, executive director of CHDC, said Community Awareness Day is held annually “to show the collaboration with communities, the different services, to be able to display what they do, and also to mingle with each other and be aware of all the good things that are going on in North Richmond.”
Fellow speakers that day included the center’s Director of Community Building & Engagement Dr. Darrell Davis—who doubled as DJ during the event—as well as CHDC board member Annie King-Meredith, Community Services Coordinator Kalu Dennis and other key business supporters.
Vendors on hand included Project Avary, PACE Center for Elders’ Independence, Growing Wiser, African American Women 4 Social Justice, Driving Clean Assistant Program, North Richmond Mitigation Fee Expenditure Plan/North Richmond Green, CA LifeLine Program, Rebuilding Together, Urban Tilth and CHDC’s Zumba class, food pantry at the center and other resources. A variety of quesabirria tacos and toppings were provided by the caterer Tacos Doña Carmen.
Click here to learn more about the array of services CHDC provides to participants at the Corrine Sain Senior & Family Community Center at 515 Silver Avenue in North Richmond.
