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Posted February 25, 2006
Area
agency offers counseling, food
By
Belia Ortega
Sheboygan Press staff
On Tuesday
afternoon, Corina Capetillo of Sheboygan called her friend Brian
Fears because her kids were hungry.
Capetillo,
a 34-year-old certified nurse's assistant, was laid off in May
and has been having a hard time finding a job, in addition to
dealing with some legal and health problems.
"I have
some cans (of food) here," Fears told Capetillo over the phone.
"I wish you would have called me yesterday because I just gave
away a couple of packs of pork chops and hot dogs."
As the
owner of Choices Family Education Services at 1106 N. Ninth St.,
Fears, a psychotherapist, receives such phone calls every day.
Capetillo,
a mother of five, had phoned a local food pantry's emergency
hotline, but was told she wouldn't be able to come in until
March 3. That would have meant a 10-day wait.
"Brian is
a lifesaver in a lot of respects," Capetillo said. "He's a very
kind-hearted person. I mean, he would do whatever he can for
anybody."
She added
that if it weren't for Fears, she wouldn't know where she would
be right now.
At
Choices, Fears offers marriage, family and individual
counseling. There are times that people require help but may not
have the resources to afford it. So he does it for free.
"People
have a need … I try to meet their need," Fears said about
occasionally offering free services. "My mom was the kind of
woman that if she saw a need, she'd meet it. I guess I learned
from her."
For the
41-year-old from Howards Grove, a "need" can mean anything from
counseling to getting people food and clothing for their
families. In the Choices house there is a food pantry, a lending
library with books and videos and a basement and garage full of
clothes for the taking.
Fears'
role in the community has evolved as he has mentored at-risk
teens, developed Bible study groups and started a group that
teaches people about their civil and constitutional rights.
Robert
Sertich of Sheboygan recently wrote a letter to The Sheboygan
Press commending Fears for his work in the community.
"I believe
he is a person in our community who does a lot to help and is
never recognized but is well known by those in need," wrote
Sertich, 70.
The letter
goes on to describe Fears as the "Pied Piper of adolescence"
because of the work he does with high-risk teens.
"He's very
understanding," Sertich said in a phone interview. "He gives
love wherever he goes. It seems like Brian knows what's going on
in the community with the kids."
In
addition to spending 12-hour days working six days a week at
Choices, Fears also helps his wife, Jennifer, home-school their
children. The Fears' children range in age from 3 weeks to 15
years old.
Jennifer
Fears, 39, said her husband has a hard time saying no, but she
is supportive of his community projects.
"I'm proud
of what he does," Jennifer Fears said. "It's neat to see the
people he helps."
Also on
Fears' plate are his personal educational advancement goals. He
is working on a master's degree in divinity at the Moody Bible
Institute in Chicago and a doctorate in clinical psychology from
the Adler School of Professional Psychology, also in Chicago.
Everything
that Fears does is with the objective to help people progress.
"I see
people losing their rights … people need a little help to move
forward," he said.
Reach
Belia Ortega at
bortega@sheboygan-press.com and 453-5169.
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