Candice Cruz, CDAV
Candice was born in Jamaica, West Indies and then moved with her family to New York, USA in the early 1980's. Raised by her parents, Candice is the youngest of five siblings.
Overcoming the adolescent bullying of her youth, Candice went on to become a LPN and a Licensed Phlebotomist working with Alzheimer patients at Kateri Residence in New York, NY. Her newfound strength allowed her to pursue her dreams of acting, taking her to places and before audiences she would not have been able to reach without the favor and grace of God.
It was her sincere desire to help others in need that enabled Candice to open her heart and home to homeless youth and at risk teens in Central Florida. From 2011 to 2015, Candice housed and clothed 79 young women between the ages of 4 to 27 years old. It was with this spirit of compassion, Young Seeds of Virtue (YSV) was founded in 2013 to encourage, motivate and inspire young women to reach and achieve their goals, no matter the obstacles.YSV has made a lasting impression within the Central Florida community through motivating and educational youth workshops called "Girl Time", various prevention programs that mentor youth in schools, coordinated home visits to support parents with troubled teens and multiple youth outreach conferences. As a certified domestic abuse advocate, Candice was compelled to begin an emergency safe house initiative through YSV called, “The Colletta House”. This program is dedicated to providing emergency housing for young ladies that are homeless, and/or temporarily displaced.
On April 25, 2015, Candice pioneered the history making “Beautiful Feet Father Daughter Ball” in which she collectively secured uniformed officers fromthree law enforcement agencies in Central Florida to be Stand-In Fathers for the eveningto young ladies who had survived all types of abuse. With the assistance of Chief John Mina, Sherriff Jerry Demings, Chief Cecil Smith and other dedicated volunteers, the event was a tremendous success, changing the lives and outlook of many.
Candice shares inspiration and faith, as the host of her own show on a variety of Christian networks entitled “Life Flow with Candice Cruz”. Amongst her numerous hats, Candice is an Honorary Council Member for South African women and children in the United States, reporting directly to the South African President’s Chief of Staff, Ms. Mbangiseni Dzivhani. Candice also serves asa board member for the RZ the Flag Organization in NJ and NY, which promotes HIV/Aids testing and research for communities and was honored to be apart of the Bill Clinton's Global Rethink RefugeeInitiative, which brings awareness to the plight of beaten and raped women and children in the Congo of Africa.
Candice travels across the board to different cities collecting and continuing training and education on Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC). YSV prevention team sets up workshops, seminars, and does un-site training on Modern Day Slavery.
"God has given us all a voice and the ability to make and be the change we want to see."