Breaking Through: Mother turns grief into mission to help others

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Hope Dudley is a mother who has turned grief into a mission to help others with her non-profit, “U Can Speak for Me”.

Dudley is an advocate who helps make posters or playing cards of Tri-State victims who are missing or have been killed.

Her efforts to bring justice to unsolved cases began when her youngest son was killed in 2007.

Daniel, known as Chaz, was shot to death while sitting in the back seat of a car. His case remains unsolved.

Looking for answers from police, detectives sent her to Crime Stoppers.

“I was given a flyer to pass out in my community that was just a sketch. And as I got the flyer, I was upset because that didn’t represent who my son was. So I started making my own flowers, flyers,” Dudley said.

So many other families suffered the same tragedy, they started calling Hope to make flyers of their loved ones taken too soon.

“I feel like our program puts those flyers out there to bring awareness to the person that’s been murdered. I truly believe in my heart. I believe that it can help solve cases,” Dudley said.

She continues to help others because she says she knows how a mother feels when there is a life-changing knock at the door.

Dudley has since partnered with the Cincinnati Police Department and Crime Stoppers. She also receives support from Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

Next year, “U Can Speak for Me” will be part of an exhibit at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

It will then travel around for even more people to see.

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