​​Eleven-year-old Austinite Meara spent her summer hosting her third fundraiser with Miracle Foundation, “Candles for a Cause.” In past years, the young fundraiser hosted baked sales and made bracelets. It is so inspiring to see children supporting other children! This year, Meara dedicated her time to researching and making candles to support her fundraising project. She made and sold 48 candles, raising over $650! We can not understate how amazing this is. Meara and her supporters have impacted the lives of 7 children, giving them a better chance at being part of a secure and safe family with our prevention work and the Thrive Scale App. Meara is a Mini Miracle Maker, and we are so impressed with her commitment to helping other children and her creativity in fundraising!

In effort to learn something new while also striving to make a difference, Meara attended a candle-making workshop at Slow North, an Austin-based gift shop. Through this workshop, the young fundraiser equipped herself with the skills and knowledge about candle-making methods.“I chose to make candles because I recently relearned the joy of burning candles, and I wanted to try something new!” She shared. Meara learned details such as the distinction between artificial and natural ingredients in candle making, optimal fragrance combinations, and even pricing differences based on ingredient composition.

“When I started making the candles, I realized that they weren’t going to turn out perfect every time,” Meara shared.

Candle-making was a trial-and-error effort for Meara, who experimented and dedicated time until she was satisfied with the quality of her final product. She also prioritized making her fundraising project a sustainable and earth-friendly endeavor, using donated baby food jars from neighbors to ensure a zero-waste effort.

The workshop and Meara’s dedication toward product testing and fine-tuning for quality empowered her to create and sell 48 candles. Meara and her Mom, Meena Matai, tapped into social media to broadcast her fundraising efforts, using Facebook as a platform to amplify her project, which experienced enthusiastic reception online. Fundraising is often a team effort, and Meara credits her mom as her biggest advertiser.

“I don’t know what magic she works, but after she posts, everyone wants a candle,” Meara shared.

Meara is grateful for those who supported her fundraiser and is already thinking about her next fundraising project.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who helped me along the way, especially to the people who took time out of their day to buy a candle to support the cause with open hearts and their generosity.”

She is excited that her efforts are helping make a change in children’s lives. If you’re interested in furthering Miracle Foundation’s Mission like Meara, you can host a fundraiser, provide a single or recurring donation, or amplify our message on your social media. We provide many avenues to become involved and help make a difference for orphans and foster children around the world.