“To whom much is given, much is required”

Well, I was given a large lot of high quality beeswax so I felt compelled to give back and use it purposefully. It is so important to raise awareness, advocate, and shine light into the dark corners of the world and even just sparking conversation about issues with little volume regarding beings with little to no voice starts the domino effect that can lead to sustainable change. I am no expert but I’m always looking for ways in which I can aid in impactful, productive change regardless of how small the act seems. So with my wealth in beeswax I concluded to sell them with the intention of passing on the funds to a reputable rescue of choice and/or an animal in dire need of help with medical expenses.

The Background

My mom’s life partner owns an estate sale business and while estates are sold for a plethora of reasons many are sold after death. His company buys items from estates with the intent of selling the merchandise at his shop. And because it is often in vulnerable times when the sale occurs he usually gets to know the family and share in the memories of the passed loved one. So it was with this beeswax but the story behind it inspired me even more so to not only utilize the wax but to do good with it.  The husband and wife met on a flight while she was a flight attendant and he an active marine. Sparks flew and they began dating, later getting married. They both enjoyed riding his motorcycle throughout California as that is where he was stationed during that time. Tragically, the husband was involved in a motorbike accident leaving him paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheel chair. They both retired and moved to Delaware where the wife began her candle business. She sold large orders of hand-rolled beeswax candles to events like weddings or holiday parties using the profits to pay for her husbands hefty medical bills.

Her business card read;

“A candle consumes itself giving its light to others. I hope this gift brightens your day”.

Pay It Forward

When the wax wasn’t selling at the shop I gleefully agreed to take several boxes with me from DE to CO.  Having no idea as to what I was going to do with it all- my husband and I rolled a few just for the fun of it! Over the holiday’s we gifted them to our clients as a small token of gratitude for their continued support of our small business. However, it dawned on me rather abruptly that these candles could be a bridge to the awareness I wished to spread and lives I hoped to help save. So with careful consideration I decided to sell our hand-rolled candles giving 100% of the proceeds to Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue. Marley’s Mutts is so much more than a rescue organization making incredible and inspiring strides, helping and healing dogs and people. And because this wax was given to me I felt it was only right to give back whatever came of the sales.

In addition to rescuing death row dogs aka dogs listed for euthanasia, Marley’s Mutts also takes on extreme medical cases while also providing

• Low cost spay/neuter programs to their local county residents, a crucial step to aiding in the no kill initiative.
• Marley’s Miracle Mutts program which provides emotional and physical support to Kern county residents at no cost. This includes everyone from students to elderly folks, veterans, families in homeless shelters, those experiencing grief and more.
• Pawsitive Change Program  “Pawsitive Change is a progressive and intensive rehabilitation program which matches death row dogs with inmates inside California State Prisons. Our goal is to reduce inmate recidivism by providing them a viable skill, while at the same time-saving dogs lives. The program is guided by 4 of our experienced trainers over 14 weeks, during which the inmates work towards vocational accreditation and the dogs towards their Canine Good Citizen Certification. Both man and mutt will use the skills gained in this program to better their lives and stay out of prisons and/or shelters–respectively.”
• PLEDG  “In addition to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming some of Kern County’s most destitute dogs, Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue offers a plethora of humane education and vocational skills programs for children, teens and adults. Today, we are thrilled to announce the rolling out of our new elementary school curriculum, which we call PLEDG: Positivity, Leadership & Empathy in Dog Guardianship. The 8-week course is currently running as a pilot program at Standard Elementary School, its participants a group of twelve 4th and 5th grade students hand-selected by the school’s principal and counselor.”

For now I would like to continue supporting Marleys Mutts if/when the donations go to a different organization or cause the candle tag will display accordingly. We were able to raise a 3 digit number amount that we sent to the organization at the start of the 2018 but my goal is to hit the $1,000 mark!

In hopes to hit the $1,000 mark I have added the candles to my Shop. You can now purchase a set of 2 hand-rolled, fragrance free, repurposed beeswax candles and help me help deserving animals! Together we can make a greater difference! The set of candles arrive wrapped in a hemp twine with a compostable piece of paper listing the rescue information to which the proceeds will be sent. This way we eliminate excess waste and plastic in the process. The wax is not chemically treated and there is absolutely no fragrance so you can breathe easy while burning. Colors currently include ivory, honey -yellow, cranberry, royal purple and a very limited stock of holiday red and ever-green.  Because this is a new initiative there may be some kinks to work out so please do leave your feedback, questions, concerns, or any issues you may encounter within the purchase process and I will do my very best to resolve them quickly.

After substantial funds are raised I will send off the donation and share with you all what we were able to achieve together. Please feel free to share the Candle initiative on your platforms and please, please check out Marley’s Mutts website, instagram and Facebook for more information and real-time updates on the animals they are saving and programs they offer.  You can also donate to them directly through their website! 

Thank you all for joining me here and until next time..

Happy Trails ♥