Steve Ryan lost his father — and the essence of his childhood — at the tender age of 3.

Ryan grew up quickly taking on the responsibility of caring for his mother and younger sister.

That maturity and loyalty continues eighteen years later. In memory of his father and in an effort to reach out to those like him, Ryan has created The Stephen Joseph Ryan Foundation: Guys Like Us, a nonprofit corporation dealing with the social development of boys whose fathers have died. 

The Hinsdale resident was inspired by an education course his freshman year at Marquette University examining the side effects experienced by boys and girls who grew up without a same gender parent.

“I resonated with a lot of it, and for the first time realized that I wasn’t alone,” Ryan said. “I decided I needed to figure out something to help other boys in my same situation.”

After meeting child bereavement professionals, Ryan started building upon ideas for his foundation. In the last two years, he has formed a board of directors and held fundraisers. Ryan hopes to welcome the first group of boys next month.

The three prongs of the program are the mentoring program, monthly gatherings and a camp session. Ryan said one of the hardest parts about growing up without a father is not having an older male there on a continuous basis and always feeling left out of father-son activities.

“The mentoring part is near and dear to my heart because hopefully that person will be there on a daily basis and go to all of those events so they don’t feel left out,” Ryan said.

The mentor will be chosen by the boy’s mother, as Ryan believes he should be someone the boy is familiar with as opposed to a random individual. The monthly gathering will take place the first Sunday of every month for two hours at the Westchester Park District. The first part will be tackling an issue and using different techniques to deal with their struggles and grief, Ryan said. The second half will be an activity to bring the boys together. At the end of the program, there will be an overnight with the boys for team building and remembering their fathers.

After a successful golf outing with Ben Crenshaw last summer that raised about $65,000 and other generous community support, the program is free of charge. Ryan hopes the program will provide the boys with a home away from home.

“I went to drop off information and this woman came up to me and said, ‘I wish I had this 30 years ago for my four boys.’” said Ellen Janus, director of marketing for Guys Like Us. “Everywhere I’ve gone, there has been such a positive response. Everyone is excited, and we can’t wait to meet the boys and see their faces.”

For more information visit www.sjrguyslikeus.org