Heidi Marie Schloegel Hynes, 51, executive director of the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center [MMC] in Crotona died on Nov. 24 after a battle with cancer. She lived in Bedford Park with her husband Brian and daughter Frieda, leaving behind a legacy of community service that inspired many activists across the Bronx.

Heidi was born on Jan. 19, 1968 in Kansas City, MO. She married Brian Hynes in 1995 and lived in Bedford Park since then.  “I think the key to understanding Heidi and her commitment to activism came from the realization that there was nothing wrong with the people of the Bronx. She saw the bigger picture of how institutional forces like redlining from the financial and banking sectors created a sense of hopelessness,” Brian said.

“Sometimes the fight with institutions caused some bitterness in Heidi but for her there was also a sweetness in working for the people of the Bronx.  She truly believed that committing to the community would bring about the best outcome.  In fact, her magic was to commit to the people of a place,” said Brian.

After graduating from Fordham University in 1990 with a degree in philosophy, Hynes worked with Astin Jacobo, a Bronx community organizer who established the Mary Mitchell Center [MMC] in 1997. Hynes was eventually promoted to serve as executive director.

At a memorial service on Nov. 26, Astrid Jacobo, Astin’s daughter, remembered all the work her father put into founding the MMC, which provides after school enrichment programs like tutoring, help with homework, fitness and arts activities, and healthy eating education. Her voice cracked with emotion as she said, “Very few people do the talk and the walk like my father did. But Heidi and all the other people at the center continue to do the job that needs to be done.”

Jacobo spoke about the sacrifices that family members of an activist have to endure for a greater cause. But she told the audience that the results were worth the effort. “[My father] came to this world and left his footprint. And just like him, Heidi, a young woman who left us so early in our lives … she definitely not only left her footprints but a passport and a map for us to go to the next level,” Jacobo said.

That passport and map included holding elected officials accountable as Hynes was a common fixture before politicians that she thought held the keys to improving her neighbors’ lives.

The wake was attended by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who recalled how Hynes carried out “God’s work” in the Bronx. “When you look at individuals like Astin Jacobo and the Jacobo family, Heidi embodied the energy, the commitment, the dedication to the Boogie Down Bronx,” Diaz said. “Heidi, every single day, did God’s work here.”

Hynes was not averse to asserting herself when an issue needed more attention from elected officials. “As borough president she agitated me on affordable housing. [She] made sure we did all that we could to invest in our green spaces and public parks. To invest in things like the Bronx River, to save our community gardens,” Diaz recalled. “What I loved about Heidi the most is that she defended our leadership behind our backs, but boy did she give us hell to our faces. That is a true friend.”

Hynes was such a vocal force at the borough president’s office in her efforts to improve the Bronx that Diaz joked, “Before I met Heidi, I had a full head of hair.”

Sandra Lobo, the executive director of the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), met Hynes more than 20 years ago while attending

Fordham University. At the time Hynes worked as a community organizer for NWBCCC and was a keynote speaker at an event at the school. “It was incredibly empowering to hear Heidi talk about how ordinary people can come together, build power, and transform the world. That was my first introduction to Heidi,” Lobo said.

Lobo considers Hynes a friend and comrade in community activism for over two decades. “She talked about her Bronx family very, very intentionally,” Lobo said. “She had a very powerful spirit that made you pay attention.”

Hynes’ concern for the well-being of others also went far beyond the issues facing her Bronx neighbors. She knew that besides the immediate problems of poverty, housing, and hunger, global issues impacted local residents. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, for instance, she helped organize Bronx Action for Justice and Peace, an anti-war group. Hynes worried that young people would join the military because they would not be aware of peaceful options to fight hate and terror.

“She also cared about peace and love all around the world,” Jordan Moss, former editor of the Norwood News, and a close personal friend of Hynes, said. Moss first met Hynes in 1995 while she worked for NWBCCC. “She was wonderful human being and though she’s gone, she’s not fully gone because she influenced and empowered all the folks here in some way, especially the teens and young adults,” Moss said.

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera, also in attendance, wants Hynes’ memory to live beyond one night of remembrance. “If we want to really honor her legacy, let’s all continue with her body of work,” Rivera said.

Hynes is survived by her husband Brian, daughter Frieda, parents Frank and Michelle Schloegel, and several nieces and nephews. She was buried in the Rosendale Plains Cemetery in Tillson, New York.

The 181 mourners in attendance at the memorial event also caught a glimpse of Hynes’ legacy of community outreach in a new generation she helped shape. Many of the center’s young people spoke about Hynes’ impact on them.

One of them, Brandon Hadley, first met Hynes at MMC when he was seven. Hadley remembers her as giving him the push he needed to start realizing his dreams. “She really motivated me to do things I wasn’t capable of doing, but I did them,” Hadley said shortly after the service. Hadley, now 19, has worked at MMC for two years and credits Hynes with helping him push himself to be his best. “Heidi helped me [reach my goals], and that’s why she’s an important person to me,” Hadley said.