Overview:
• Candice Crear's non-profit organization, From Fatherless to Fearless, empowers and equips teen girls with strained or absent father relationships through the Better Together Conference and other services.
• The organization challenges societal norms and aims to raise awareness about the impact of fatherlessness while creating a more supportive and inclusive community.
Contributed
Candice Crear is taking risks and innovating; she’s a game changer within her respective causes. Her entrepreneurial spirit is pushing her to not just ideate, but take action – as well as tackle historic problems using modern solutions.
Under her leadership, From Fatherless to Fearless, a non-profit organization she founded to help females, is inciting significant changes to empower and equip teen girls with strained or absent father relationships. Driven by her desire to help others, the organization disrupts societal norms by focusing on the root cause of mental, emotional, and financial health challenges. They hope to shed light on the epidemic, increase research, and drive substantial change for fatherless girls and their families.
The organization will hold the Better Together Conference on June 22 at the Cintas Center. This unique event is for mothers and daughters (12-18 years old). It will feature singer and actress LeToya Luckett formerly of Destiny’s Child. To find out more information, visit www.fromfatherlesstofearless.org/better.
At two years old, Crear’s father walked out of her life. After being molested in 9th grade and dealing with the pain of rejection, anger, and depression for many years, she decided to make a choice that would change her life forever – to heal. This two-time award-winning finalist and five-time best-selling author is committed to leading fatherless women from adversity to wholeness.
Crear says that women and girls impacted by fatherlessness often grapple with a myriad of challenges, spanning emotional distress, financial instability, self-esteem and identity issues, and mental health struggles. “Our program addresses these multifaceted challenges head-on by recognizing the unique needs of these individuals and equipping them with the essential tools to navigate their daily lives,” stated Crear.
From Fatherless to Fearless offers the following services:
• Equipping All — B.R.I.D.G.E. is an innovative curriculum facilitated as a group intensive where girls learn the power of boundaries, how to build healthy relationships, financial literacy, and more. They facilitate their curriculum onsite during school or after school in 8- or 14-week sessions.
• Empowering the One—Mental, emotional, and financial health enrichment classes keep women engaged and encouraged while offering them the tools they need to thrive.
• Embracing Community—The organization intentionally cultivates community to increase awareness and sustain healing because healthy and nourishing relationships can provide the essential support everyone needs to move forward. To embrace connection and engagement, the program conducts activities for fatherless girls, their guardians, and the community, such as enrichment workshops, community event tables, and other events.
From Fatherless to Fearless cultivates a nurturing and inclusive environment where girls feel safe to openly discuss their experiences and seek assistance. Through advocacy efforts and strategic collaborations with other organizations, the program strives to raise awareness about the profound impact of fatherlessness and work towards creating a more supportive and inclusive community for all affected women and girls.
Mentorship stands as a cornerstone of From Fatherless to Fearless’s mission, playing a vital role in the lives of girls affected by fatherlessness by providing them with guidance, support, and invaluable opportunities for personal growth and development. For many of these girls, navigating life without a father figure can leave them feeling adrift, with few sources of guidance or support. “Mentors step into this void, offering a steady hand and a compassionate ear, serving as trusted confidantes who offer encouragement, wisdom, and advice on a wide range of topics,” Crear explained. “Ultimately, mentorship within From Fatherless to Fearless serves as a beacon of hope and opportunity, empowering girls to realize their full potential and navigate life’s journey with confidence and strength.”
Partners play a critical role in their work by helping identify girls who need support, giving space within the school day, and providing the building for program delivery. Their key partnerships include the following:
• High Schools – They have relationships with Hughes and Western Hills High Schools. They partner with each school to select participants, provide a space for program facilitation, and give students a grade for completing the program. For 2024, they are looking to start new partnerships with more area schools.
• Community Centers – They have a relationship with the Cincinnati Recreations Center. They conduct programming after school for students who attend Aiken High School. They partner with the community center to offer the program to new students and have a space for program facilitation.
• Other Organizations – Occasionally, non-school organizations partner with them to serve additional cohorts of girls and young women. They’ve worked with the Lighthouse Youth and Family Services, YWCA Butler County, and the Women’s Centers of Ohio. They also serve the youth detention center for the Ohio Department of Youth Services. These organizations market the B.R.I.D.G.E. program to the women they serve, allow them to facilitate onsite, and may offer an incentive to women if they attend.
There exist numerous misconceptions and stigmas surrounding fatherlessness, one being the belief that it inevitably results in negative outcomes. However, according to Crear, this notion is far from accurate. “Despite presenting challenges, fatherlessness does not determine one’s destiny. From Fatherless to Fearless combats this misconception by spotlighting and applauding tales of resilience and achievement among individuals impacted by fatherlessness. Another misconception is understanding the importance of a father and the direct impact on a daughter’s self-confidence,” Crear stated. “We make decisions based on how confident we are. When a girl grows up fatherless, their self-confidence instantly deteriorates, leading to bad, repetitive decision-making. Additionally, absentee fatherhood is often mistakenly associated solely with fathers lacking interest or accountability. In reality, various circumstances, such as divorce, incarceration, abandonment, or death, can lead to fatherlessness.” Crear says there have been numerous gratifying experiences while assisting the girls in the program. One girl stands out; she struggled with hospital visits, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm. Initially hesitant about joining the B.R.I.D.G.E. program, she often kept to herself. However, as weeks passed, she gradually engaged more. Then, around the tenth week, she surprised everyone by raising her hand and sharing, “I wake up in the morning and smile. I feel like my depression is gone.” These moments affirm that the organization is truly impacting girls to be thriving citizens.