INDIANAPOLIS – A business in downtown Indianapolis making and selling candles is helping women in recovery. It’s part of Wheeler Mission’s Center for Women and Children.
The business is called Restored Creations. It’s run by women who survived struggles like homelessness, addiction or domestic violence.
The women make candles, but their mission is so much bigger than the candles they make.
“Inside of the candle we have a story of one of the women.. who has gone through the program,” said Breana Rothrock with the Wheeler Mission Center for Women and Children. “It’s even been the launching pad for some women to say, ‘I need help, I need to go into a program, I want to get sober, I want this to be my story.’”
Restored Creations is also a workforce development program to help the women who live there get ready for life and a job once they leave.
“They’re making candles but everyone’s not going to go be a candle maker after they leave,” said Rothrock. “One of the things that we constantly put emphasis on is the transferable job skills, like problem solving and communication.”
Every woman who goes through orientation is trained by a woman who was there before her.
The candles and wax melts they make cost $4.50 to $16.
Money made goes back into the shelter, which houses the whole operation, from production to the showroom. It’s also where the women and children live.
“I think a piece of homelessness exists because of a lack of viable job skills,” Rothrock said. “This gives the ladies an opportunity to be able to spend anywhere from eight months to 17 months, sometimes longer, really being able to figure out who they are [and] what their strengths are.”
Normally their showroom downtown is open for shopping. Now during COVID-19, the best way to shop is online.
Click here to learn more about or place an order with Restored Creations.