On this day, Clara Hale, known as “Mother Hale,” was born Clara McBride in 1905 in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
Orphaned at 16, she finished high school, married, and later moved to New York. Widowed young, she supported her three children by working as a janitor while opening her home to care for children of working parents.
At 65, her life’s work transformed when she began caring for drug-addicted babies, eventually nurturing dozens with the help of her children.
Support from donors allowed her to open Hale House, a five-story home for vulnerable children, including those born with HIV/AIDS.
Her compassion earned national recognition, including praise from President Ronald Reagan in 1985.
Clara Hale died on December 18, 1992, at age 87, leaving behind a legacy of radical love and care.
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