CANDLE CO.
C O N N E C T P.O. Box 91033 Columbus, Ohio 43209 www.legacycandleco.com www.amberrunyon.com
CANDLE CO. FO UNDED I N 2 015
OUR MISSION Legacy is a social enterprise working to redeem, restore, empower, and equip those effected by human trafficking and other forms of abuse. We strive to establish sustainable communities for orphans and to employ women to create products that are globally sourced and locally crafted.
MEET THE FOUNDER Hello! I am Amber Runyon. I am the Founder here at Legacy Candle Co. I reside in Columbus, OH with my dog Annie. I have traveled internationally as a nurse, serving alongside medical teams.  One of these trips landed me in Ethiopia. It was there that I met an orphaned street girl named Mulu. The moment she walked up to me and slipped her little hand inside of mine, I looked into her big brown eyes and knew that in some way she belonged to me and I belonged to her. Thus began the journey of Legacy. My heart for this life God has given me is to work hard to allow little girls to dream, they will be the force that changes the world. I also believe that if we help broken women dream like little girls again there will be no such force the world will have ever seen. Legacy Candle Co. started from this very thought. That if we redeem, restore, empower, and equip woman that we will see a force that the world has never seen. In addition to Legacy Candle Co. I serve at my local church, travel to other organizations and churches to speak to women, and network with my local community. I love a good adventure and am always up for hiking, kayaking, camping, and traveling.
T H E
S T O R Y
Legacy began in the eyes of a little girl. A nurse by trade, Legacy founder Amber Runyon, traveled internationally, serving alongside medical teams. One of these trips landed her in Ethiopia. It was there that she met an orphaned street girl named Mulu. “The moment she walked up to me and slipped her little hand inside of mine, I looked into her big brown eyes and knew that in some way she belonged to me and I belonged to her,” says Runyon. Thus began the journey of Legacy. “Motionless bodies met my gaze as I walked the streets of Ethiopia,” Runyon recounts, “with each step, I took in a reality that was far from my own. Mulu’s arms clung desperately around my neck as I stood, trying to grasp the inescapable reality of this place that she called home. I struggled to understand why there were so many pregnant women and starving children. I then realized that the women were pregnant because the only way most of them knew how to provide for their children was to sell their bodies. They exchanged their dignity for a loaf of bread. These women were not seeking sexual encounters for pleasure or gratification. No, they were desperate mothers who couldn’t stand by and watch their children starve. After visiting hut after hut, each telling the same story, I stumbled out of the village, sat down in the dirt, and wept. That’s when I knew my life could not be the same.” Upon returning home to Columbus, Ohio, Runyon knew that she needed to take action. Legacy and Legacy Candle Co. were founded out of the desire to bring hope to women both in the United States and in Ethiopia who have been victims of trafficking.
O F
L E G A C Y
Legacy is a social enterprise working to redeem, restore, empower, and equip those affected by human trafficking. Amber and her team strive to establish sustainable communities for orphans and to employ women to create products that are globally sourced and locally crafted. Through skills training, sixteen women in Ethiopia are currently employed to make beads, metal jewelry, and hand-carved wooden crosses and figurines. This employment empowers these women to provide for their families in ways that bring dignity to their lives. Locally, Legacy Candle Co. is working toward employing women who have been trafficked to handpour soy candles to sell in a variety of marketplaces. These two enterprises, although seemingly distinct from one another, directly feed into each other. All profits from the sale of Legacy’s artisanal products go directly back into the mission of Legacy both domestically and abroad. Since Amber’s first trip to Africa, Legacy has collaborated on the building of a school, a soccer field for children, supporting a local Co-op, and employing Ethiopian artisans to create additional products to offer for sale as well. Most recently, Legacy has come alongside the Ethiopian Almaz Ashene Children and Family Support Center Association whose focus is on early childhood education, working with street children, and empowering women within their own communities. And little Mulu? She has been placed with a loving foster family and is flourishing, no longer worrying about her next meal. Mulu is being raised up as a part of a new generation of women who are empowered to make their own way in Ethiopia, and ultimately alter the course of her life and countless women who will come after her.
G E T I N V O L V E D
We are serving our local community and the world with several different projects and missions. Here is how Legacy is working to redeem, restore, empower and equip.
1. Legacy Candle Co. 2. Employing former victims of sex trafficking here in the states through our social enterprise shop, Legacy Candle Co.
3. Employing women in Africa by selling their handcrafted jewelry and products.
4. Joining with other organizations and social
justice enterprises to raise awareness and create a network of opportunities for the formerly exploited.
5. Working to sustain a village in Ethiopia by creating a self-sustaining school and foster-care program.
AND MORE TO COME!
the Signature collection *All of our candles are hand-poured with 100% soy wax which means your candle will burn longer and cleaner.
Amazing Grace Eucalyptus Honey & Fig Lavender Mahogany Teakwood Seasalt & Rosemary Spiced Chai
Pricing 2 oz.- $5
4 oz.- $10
8 oz.- $15
Melts 6 ct.- $5
Host a Trunk Show
Invite all your friends over and we will throw a party! The night will be full of good snacks, candles, and a brief message from us. This is a great way to educate your friends and family about the trafficking and abuse issues this world is facing and give them an opportuntiy to join the cause. We will bring our candles for you and your guests to buy that night and give them other opportunities to get involved.
2016 © Legacy Candle Co. Created by: Christene Logesky at Studio East Main