“From Fatherless to Fearless” helps empower adolescent girls

CINCINNATI — Although Father's Day is a happy time for many families, for teens growing up without a father in their lives, it presents a wide variety of challenges.

An Ohio nonprofit is working to improve the lives of teenage girls who find themselves in these difficult and heartbreaking situations.

Candice Crear is the founder of From Fatherless to Fearless.

She and her team have a big event coming up.

“It’s an exciting time. We organize the Better Together conference. It's a mother-daughter conference. We’re looking to unify that relationship,” she said.

The drive to unify relationships and help teenage girls began because of Crear's own story.

“My father left when I was two and I felt this rejection and disappointment. I didn't really realize that I was missing something until I was five years old, and during my studies I really went through a difficult time. By the time I reached high school, I was attacked on a school bus and coupled with the disappointment of being without a father, I was very angry,” Crear said.

She covered the pain well until college.

“That’s when I hit rock bottom with alcohol. Fortunately, God changed my life,” she said.

Crear ended up having a successful career in banking until she reached another crossroads.

“I woke up one Sunday morning and my face was paralyzed on one side. I actually thought I was having a stroke,” Crear said.

He was diagnosed with Bell's palsy.

“They think it’s stress-related, but there’s just no cure,” Crear said.

From there, she turned her life around and started a nonprofit.

Over the years, the organization has helped hundreds of girls through unique programming and heartfelt conversations in high schools, recreation centers and juvenile detention centers.

“It's very rare in the United States that there is an organization, especially a nonprofit, that actually does this. But our work is very much about mental health, emotional health and financial literacy,” Crear said.

Recently, “From Fatherless to Fearless” received more than $15,000 in the University of Dayton’s Flyer Pitch competition.

The money will help the programs grow even further.

“We actually made five times our revenue last year compared to 2022,” she said.

Since Crear, building the organization from the ground up has been challenging, but rewarding.

On days when the focus is on fathers, she wants girls to know she understands.

“I think it's very difficult when it comes to Father's Day and not having that representation in your life. We want to empower them, but also ensure that they enjoy and take ownership of their entire lives. Let them not become victims of their situation,” Crear said.

The Better Together conference will take place on Saturday, June 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Cintas Center in Cincinnati.

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