Shalisa Hayes, MCLC

After losing my 17-year-old son to gun violence, I quickly learned where my personal gifts were needed and using them was my new found purpose.

In an effort to see my son’s dream of having a safe, fun place for young people to co-exist outside of school hours, I set out to fulfill his mission of having a community center built on the eastside of Tacoma Washington. With much support, I successfully lobbied multiple government agencies and private donors to construct the new, $32 million, 55,000 square foot, state of the art Eastside Community Center. Within this community center is a life size statue of my son, Billy Ray, standing in his infamous pose (pointing) to represent, “You Got This,” in hopes of inspiring and encouraging the young Billy Ray’s of the world to dream big, work hard and don’t give up. My work gained worldwide attention which led to multiple invitations to share my story on the world stage in front of audiences representing over 140 different countries. My tragedy led me to other mothers who have experienced similar losses yet have courageously taken on the assignment of making a positive impact to their communities while memorializing their deceased children. Much like them, my son’s dream became my legacy.

A parent forced into the position of burying a child almost always desires to take action. It is our way of ensuring our children’s memory lives on and their death was not in vain. My personal success afforded me the opportunity to be a resource for others and through those interactions, I found that a major obstacle preventing some from reaching their anticipated goal was the boundaries of grief. As someone who understood their pain, I created the Mothers of Magnitude (M.O.M.), a peer support network which looks to connect mothers of deceased children and encourages them to support and learn from each other. Through M.O.M.’s, I’ve had the extreme pleasure of coaching a number of mothers through the process of grief and if desired, to embark on a dream filled mission of their own. Now, I’m extending myself to you!