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JAMIE NULL
Hometown
Hero
Stephanie Hayhurst-Hall
It is hard to find a better spokesperson
for the thousands of foster children in West
Virginia than Stephanie Hayhurst-Hall.
From a very young age, she wanted to
become an adoptive parent. The feeling
of paying it forward is very personal to
Hall, who herself was adopted in 1977
through the Children’s Home Society of
West Virginia (CHS). When she and her
husband began dating, she told him she
wanted to adopt a child one day, and in
2016, she, her husband and their son
adopted daughter Sophie from CHS.
“When she came to us in foster care, she
had been neglected, experienced trauma,
had several health issues and was severely
delayed,” says Hall. “Today, she is a
completely normal, healthy and happy
5 year old.”
Born and raised in Pennsboro, WV,
Hall has become a spokesperson for the
roughly 6,700 children in West Virginia
who are in foster care. Her personal goals
and free time are dedicated to advocating
for them.
“I want to see all children have forever
families,” she says. “There are so many
myths and misconceptions associated with
fostering and adopting. I love talking to
anyone who will listen so I can address
those candidly and give a real perspective.”
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WEST VIRGINIA EXECUTIVE
Hall has always been open about her
adoption experiences and encourages
others to consider becoming foster families.
In order to advocate, she has opened the
door of communication about her personal
life and the joys and struggles of fostering
and adopting a child. She stresses that
agencies and nonprofits assigned to a child
will work with each family no matter
how conflicting their schedule might be.
Both Hall and her husband juggle full-
time careers, but they made it happen
and believe others can too.
“We don’t really hold back or hide
where our foster journey has taken us,”
she says. “We have had open discussions
with small groups and couples in our
home. We bring up the questions cou-
ples are often afraid or embarrassed to
ask. We know what those questions are
because we had a lot of them ourselves.
We talk about the good, the bad and the
ugly of the system, which needs completely
reformed and is not the children’s fault. I
also get asked to speak to a lot of groups,
and I love getting the opportunity to share
my story, our experiences and why it’s so
important for healthy families to consider
fostering and adopting. We also share our
experiences on social media and have been
able to reach out to several families. We
REBECCA DEVONO PHOTOGRAPHY
invite them to the small group sessions
we have in our home.”
Hall currently serves on the executive
board of directors and as a fundraiser
for CHS.
“The board approved my nomination
last year, and I was able to become a board
member to the organization that I credit
with saving my life and my daughter’s
life,” she says. “It was definitely a bucket
list item for me, and to say I am humbled
by the work CHS does every single day
for our state’s children is a complete
understatement.”
Hall, who is the owner of the Stephanie
Hayhurst-Hall State Farm Agency in
Clarksburg, is also the co-director and
a board member for the newly formed
Antero Resources Charitable Foundation.
In the past, she has been involved with
the Ritchie County Economic Develop-
ment Authority, CrissCross of Harrison
County, United Way of Harrison County,
The Community Foundation and the
Harrison County Chamber of Commerce,
where she served as chairman of the board.
“My true passion and hobby is advo-
cating for children in West Virginia, and
that is how I spend most of my free time,”
she says. “I believe adoption gives a child
hope and a future, and the future of our
communities becomes a little brighter.
Most of the children who enter foster care
are from families who have been in the
cycle of drug abuse, neglect and/or physical
abuse for generations. If these children are
able to become adopted and we get them
in healthy families, we have just broken a
cycle. This child has hope and a future.”
How You Can Help
The need for foster and adoptive parents
in West Virginia is great. If you’re interested
in opening your home to a child in need,
here’s what you need to do:
1. Register as an adoptive/foster
parent by contacting Mission WV.
2. Attend a pre-service orientation.
3. Complete a home study.
After these steps are complete and you
receive your approval notification, you’ll
be ready to make a difference in the life
of a West Virginia child.
For more information,
visit http://dhhr.wv.gov.