Tulsa Nonprofit Owner Out Thousands After Contractor Didn't Finish Renovation

The owner of a local nonprofit wants to give teenage girls a safe place to live. She was trying to turn the home she grew up in, into a safe haven for girls.

She said a local contractor took $7,000 from her, but didn't do the work. She's filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, however, she is hoping the community will help her finish the project.

Cassandra Prear said her nonprofit doesn't have the money to finish the project.

"This is not the final say. It's just not,” said Founder of local nonprofit, Teens Excelling Beyond, Cassandra Prear.

Prear founded Teens Excelling Beyond because she's always wanted to give back. She grew up in North Tulsa. After all three of her siblings passed away, she decided she wanted to show teenagers they can create a better life for themselves.

"I want these young ladies to see one female at a time that you can do better, that there is better but we need to change their environment, their setting, their mindset,” said Prear. “We need to take them out of the picture because they're so stuck mentally. So what we're going to do is shift mindsets and show them that there is something different out there.”

Prear wants to turn her childhood home into a safe haven for teens who need a place to go. She said the home was sitting empty after her parents died, so she paid a contractor $7,000 dollars to gut it and renovate it.

She said the contractor left the home bare, then stopped answering her calls and messages for weeks.

"To just take off like that - it was really beyond me,” said Prear. “I was heartbroken."

She said when the home is finished it will provide 10 to 14 girls with a place to live. Her goal is to reduce homelessness, teenage pregnancy, lower school dropout rates and encourage girls to rise above their surroundings.

Prear said another part of her mission is to help change the stigma of mental health among teens.

"We want to encourage and inspire them to know, just because you're in a situation or you were born in North Tulsa, that doesn't define you,” said Prear.

In December, another contractor stepped in to help frame the home and add siding, but Prear said her funds have gotten really low. Prear is currently spending money out of pocket and hopes the community will help make her dream a reality.

"I know it looks like this but wait until the end result. I'm just hopeful,” said Prear.

Click Here if you’d like to donate to help the group with the home.

Teen's Excelling Beyond has a girl's summit coming up on March 5 at Rudisill Regional Library from 11 to 3. It’s free, but you can RSVP at info@teensexcelling.com or by Clicking Here.