Copyright © 2021 All rights reserved. Paid for by Karen Colon Hayes
I was born in the Bronx, New York to working class parents. My father was born in Puerto Rico and my mother was a first generation immigrant from Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic). They were a bi-racial couple during a time when it was much less common than it is today.
From an early age, me and my siblings learned about acceptance and social justice. We lived in the Gun Hill housing Projects in the Bronx, until my parents bought a house and moved to a suburban area in Scotchtown, NY. This was also a very ethnically diverse neighborhood, with many Puerto Rican, African American and Jewish families moving there from the same area in the Bronx.
It was here that I met my childhood sweetheart Patrick Joseph Hayes and we have been together ever since.
We searched for a long time to find a place to call home, and when we found Malden I knew immediately this was the place for us. As we stepped off the T in Malden Center, I instantly felt at home. I was met with many different faces, cultures and a “small town feel” in a city of 60,000 residents. We chose Malden to be our home and have lived here for thirty years raising our three girls, two of whom are Malden High School graduates and one who is currently a sophomore.
When we decided to make Malden our home, we began making connections with other families who had the same dream of creating a shared community for our kids to grow up in. That is when Friends of Oak Grove, Inc. (FOOGI) was founded. I was raised in a home that was very civic minded and I followed that path.
Massachusetts Latinx Trailblazer Award 2020, Massachusetts Unsung Heroine Award 2018, ABCD BOSTON Community Hero Award 2017, North Shore Black Women’s Association MLK Community Leader Award 2015, Cambridge Health Alliance Community Advocate Award, 2011, YWCA “Women of Distinction” Award 2012, Triangle, Inc. Spirit Award 2012
My degree is in Social Work and my passion is working with youth at risk. I worked through college at a summer job leading a Ropes and Confidence Course. The goal of the course was to increase self-esteem, problem solving abilities, conflict resolution, and leadership abilities for young people. I took these skills with me when leading the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment Program (MSYEP).
I have over 25 years experience in leadership, including management and director level positions. I was the Business Manager for an Architecture firm and a Family Counseling and Guidance Center, and the Director of Psychiatry Research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. I worked there until we made the decision as a family that I would stay home raising the girls until they were all in school. I recognize and I am grateful that we were able to manage this on one income.
During my days as an at home mom I spent my time being a girl scout troop leader, a sports mom, volunteering at the Linden STEAM Academy and organizing the FOOGI Fun & Fitness program at Patchell Park. It was during the FOOGI events that I became involved with local government and we partnered to hold many community-centered events.
It was my connection to the community and my ability to organize that led me to my position in the Mayor’s Office. I have worked for the past nine years building programs and systems to help our most historically marginalized community members. Working on Youth Development Programs, Senior Center activities, interfaith vigils, and racial equity has been the most inspiring and satisfying work I have done to date.
Leading the Mayor’s Summer Youth Employment program is closest to my heart. I mentored young adults as they entered the workforce for the first time, helping people of all ages is very fulfilling and I enjoyed bringing new cultural, fitness and educational events to the seniors. One of my favorites was “Tech Time With Teens” where I was able to watch intergenerational relationships grow between the seniors and teens as they both learned new skills.
I am proud to have brought the first ever Community and Unity race discussions to the city and made sure the work would be sustainable by branching off to one of the most active groups in the area on race, MaldenCORE (Community Organizing for Racial Equity). I also led the largest interfaith vigil in Malden where we stood for unity against an attack of our muslim neighbor on our streets. Safety should be something that is attainable to everyone – especially having a place to call home or at least a shelter from the cold. That is why I helped establish the Malden Warming Center at the Church of the Nazarene. Working side by side with city, community and faith organizations to bring a dream to reality was hard work, but well worth it as I watch new volunteers come each year to serve.
Not being reappointed to my position as Director of Human Services and Community Outreach was devastating. I loved my work and I have much more to give. It was then that I knew what I had to do.
Copyright © 2021 All rights reserved. Paid for by Karen Colon Hayes