NATCHEZ — Stevan Ridley’s mother taught him at an early age about the importance of giving back to the community.

Now that Ridley’s made it to the NFL with the New England Patriots, the opportunity exists for him to give back in a big way.

Ridley will be on-hand June 28 for Hometown Huddle, an event his mother, Carolyn Ridley, is putting on to help raise money for the Guardian Shelter and the Ballet Magnificat, which is coming to Natchez Nov. 30.

“My mom supported me for my 23 years on earth, and I’m just trying to come back and do the same,” Ridley said.

“She’s a very special lady, and she’s a lady that’s strong in Christ, so I’m just trying to come back and lend a helping hand. It’s also a chance for me to come back and spend time with my mom, because she spends enough time traveling for me about sports.”

The Natchez Community Center will host the event, and Ridley will sign autographs from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Autographs are limited to two items per signing, and the cost is $20, cash-only.

At 6:30 p.m., former Trinity Episcopal sports commentator Howard Jones will interview Ridley about life in the NFL. Tickets for the event are $25 per person.

“I always believe in giving back,” Ridley said. “It’s something my mom told me at an early age, to be sure to give back to your community. This is a chance to come back and support a local charity and do things for other people.”

Carolyn Ridley said the total expense for Ballet Magnificat, a Christian ballet group from Jackson, to perform in Natchez is expected to be approximately $6,000. Any extra proceeds the event raises will go toward the Guardian Shelter.

“My mom made me go the first year they came (in 2008), and it really opened my eyes,” Stevan said. “Normally, I wouldn’t go see a ballet performance, but just seeing how they were a Christian group and how organized they were, I can see why my mom wants them involved with our community.”

Carolyn said she’s been able to raise money for both causes for the last four years, but now that her son is in the NFL, an added opportunity exists.

“It’s another dimension for us, bringing Stevan here with the fundraising,” Carolyn said. “It also gives the community a chance to visit with Stevan.”

Guardian Shelter, a home for battered women and children, provides their clients with food and other necessities, as well as a place to escape to. Carolyn said she became involved with the shelter four years ago in her Sunday School class at Parkway Baptist, along with Robert and Dorothy Sylvester, Beatrice Owens and Dr. Akinremi Akinwale.

“We looked for an agency where we could bring Sunday School to them, and we did Sunday School there for almost two years,” Carolyn said.

Carolyn also said Ballet Magnificat was something she helped bring to Natchez four years ago after hearing about their Christ-based message.

“This year, we wanted to market it for Christmas in Natchez, which is why we chose the Nov. 30 date,” Carolyn said. “We wanted to bring them to Natchez not just to expose people to Christian ballet, but to expose them to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Stevan said he can’t wait to get back to Natchez. Having complete organzied team activities with the Patriots Thursday, he will spend time in both Baton Rouge and Natchez until training camp starts.

“Right now, I’m just training in Baton Rouge with (LSU strength coach Tommy) Moffitt,” Stevan said. “We have a little down time before we go back and kick off camp in late July.”