D’Acra Hayes

     Wow. Where do I start? First off my name is D’Acra Hayes and I am VERY grateful, thankful, and blessed to be welcomed to be apart of such an amazing organization.

I’m from Detroit and has been a resident of Las Vegas for 14 years. At the age of three I loss my parents and lived with my aunt who already had three kids of her own and always told me and my two sisters we were going into foster care because she couldn’t take care of us, well at the age of 9 it happened I was a foster kid. Then one day on Easter I went to visit my family only to find out the house was burned down and no one even knew, so I never heard from my family again. At 10, I was adopted. Fast forward 30 years later and I’ve never seen my family since the age of 9. I was a member of the Boys and Girls club and was AFRAID of anyone knowing or finding out I was a foster child. Afraid to get teased or bullied so all while I was in there and at school I stayed in survival mode, but the kids; they still had questions. 

I had my 13 year old daughter at the age of 31 my adopted mother wanted me to have an abortion, that hurt. It really did because now I have a mom that I really thought was better than that, and because I didn’t abort my child when it was time for me to student teach to finally finish my bachelors in education because only reason I moved to Las Vegas from Detroit was to help my adopted mom with the youngest two foster kids she had with her. 

   When I had my daughter she and my daughter never connected, it’s like my daughter instinctively knew my mom wanted me to abort her. I never told my daughter and even today my daughter respects her as she should and was raised to but if she doesn’t have to associate with her she won’t. 

ALL, of the transitional challenges I’ve had in my life has never been talked about and because of that I kept a survivors and independent wall around me. It’s all I had that kept me safe. Right. I’m currently in the startup phase of my after school reading strategies and development program for middle school students, before I could create my vision I HAD to deal with and face ALL my transitional challenges from the age of 3 through my adult life and although that wasn’t easy I have so much inner peace within myself because I know I’m spiritually protected and God kept. 

I’m an advocate for youth because I NEED them to understand they have a voice even through all of their transitional challenges whether good or bad. I’m D’Acra Hayes and I do hope you’ve enjoyed my story. Love and light.