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 San Juan, Puerto Rico, and my mother was the first family member born in the United States from immigrants from the Czech Republic.
From an early age, my siblings and I were taught the values of acceptance and social justice. We lived in the Gun Hill housing projects in the Bronx until my parents purchased a home and moved our family to the suburban community of Scotchtown, New York. It was also a culturally diverse neighborhood, home to many Puerto Rican, African American, and Jewish families who had relocated from the same area of the Bronx.
It was there that I met my childhood sweetheart, Patrick Hayes. We have been together ever since. We moved to Massachusetts to pursue education. Pat studied at the Boston Architectural Center while I attended Simmons School of Social Work. After searching in many different areas, we found our first apartment on the Fellsway East in Malden. We quickly fell in love with this city! We saw the city’s tremendous potential and purchased our home here, where we have lived for 35 years.
One of the things I love about Malden is the number of families who have called it home for generations. That sense of continuity is part of what makes the city so special. Although I did not grow up here, my family and I intentionally chose Malden as our home for many reasons.
We spent a long time searching for a community that was accessible to Boston, where both of us worked. The moment we visited Malden, I knew we had found the right place. As we stepped off the T at Malden Center, I immediately felt at home in this city with its welcoming, small-town character. We first rented two apartments in different neighborhoods before eventually purchasing a house in the Oak Grove area.
We have now lived in Malden for thirty-five years, raising our three daughters, all of whom graduated from Malden High School.
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
I bring more than 35 years of professional experience in director- and management-level roles. My undergraduate degree concentrated on Social Work and English, and I went on to attend Simmons School of Social Work for my Masters Degree. I needed to step away when my daughter began experiencing serious health problems.
I began my career as the business manager of a family counseling and guidance center in Boston, where I oversaw a staff of 20. I later joined Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, where I worked for the leading neuropsychiatry Doctor and Professor to establish its first psychiatry research department with the Harvard Residency Program.
After taking time away from work to care for my children, I returned to work for the City of Malden, where I served as the Human Services and Community Outreach Director for 9 ½ years. I currently serve as a City Councilor-at-Large in Malden.
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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 worked at city hall for over 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 helped lead the largest interfaith vigil in Malden where we stood for unity against an attack of our muslim neighbor on our streets and partnered with local temples and members of our Jewish Community for interfaith vigils and sponsoring the City Council resolution denouncing antisemitism. Safety should be something that is attainable to everyone.
You cannot be safe when you do not have a place to sleep. 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 it has grown so much since the first year!
Copyright © 2021 All rights reserved. Paid for by Karen Colon Hayes