It was Candice 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 72 young women between the ages of 4 to 27 years old. It was with this spirit of compassion, Young Seeds of Virtue (YSV) now Hands Off Inc, was founded to encourage, motivate and inspire young women to
reach and achieve their goals, no matter the obstacles. HOI 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 counselor,
Candice was compelled to begin an emergency safe house initiative through HOI 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 from three law enforcement agencies in Central
Florida to be Stand-In Fathers for the evening to teens and preteens 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
the 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 as a board member for the RZ
the Flag Organization in NJ and NY, which promotes HIV/Aids testing and research for affected
communities in NY & NJ. Candice travels across the board to different cities collecting and continuing
training and education on Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC). HOI prevention team
sets up workshops, seminars, does on-site training on Modern Day Slavery.
Her next venture took her to Washington DC to fight for policy change on FCC regulations. Hoping to
effect change on the radio that exposes children to explicit verbiage and content by instituting the
“79 Rule.” Candice launched Hues Cosmetics, LLC in November 2016. Hues Cosmetics began in the mind
of Candice Cruz while working at the CPC Chemical Packaging Plant in 2001. One day as she
stood in the plant, she drifted off into a dream of owning her very own product line. Her fascination with beauty was ironic because Candice had never thought of herself as a traditional beauty at the time, but
wanted to reflect the glamorous and sophisticated natural beauty seen in old Hollywood movies.
Her first attempts at making lipstick from her home proved to be unsuccessful, with three financial flops and many other failed attempts over the course of fifteen years. Despite the setbacks, her faith in God
strengthened Candice to pursue her vision. In 2014, Hues Cosmetics started again, and Candice Cruz
successfully launched the full cosmetics product line in November 2016, proudly manufactured in
United States. Hues Cosmetics, LLC. is a multicultural, naturally better cosmetics line designed by a
woman of color for all shades of beauty. As a women’s advocate working with young women who are
survivors of Human Trafficking and Domestic Abuse through her nonprofit, Hands Off, Inc., Candice
understands the importance of nonprofit organizations and how crucial funding is to these groups. This
passion is reflected in HUES (“He Understands Every Soul”), an outreach program that assists
charitable organizations working with women and children through education, rehabilitation, and health services. Hues Cosmetics is committed to teaching the HUES message of reflecting natural beauty from the inside out for every hue. For more information visit www.hues-cosmetics.com
Candice changed the company name to BUtiful by Candice in October of 2016 to broaden her reach internationally launching into Brazil and Canada. Candice is now working to employ survivors giving them another chance at a successful future.
Today BUtiful by Candice is worn by celebrities such as Laila Ali, Jada Pinkett Smith Oprah Winfrey and is used on sets such as Power by Curtis Jackson aka 50cents and She’s Gotta Have it by Spike Lee.
Awarded the Rising Star Award in 2015 by The National Council of Negro Women in Washington DC. Candice also received a White House invitation and Letter of Recognition from President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama for her work and dedication of Survivors of Human Trafficking.
January 2018 BUtiful by Candice was featured in the Los Angeles Time as the BUtiful Empire full spread story highlighting the company and the success of an amazing launch.
Candice founded Mukisa Girls Empowerment Centre and School in July 2018. They educate primary school girls and teach vocational training to women in the surrounding village to assist them in sustainable living. The school and centre are located in Kampala Uganda.
"God has given us all a voice and the ability to make and be the change we want to see."