Imagine if you will...

You have a problem with your plumbing, your water is shut off and you must go without a shower or the ability able to flush the toilet until the plumber can make it in a couple of days. What do you do? Tough it out? Go to a friend’s house or check into a hotel?

Going to a friend’s house or to a hotel was not an option for one of our beloved candle makers; she was in between housing and living in her Honda with her twin 11-year son and daughter. Let that sink in for a moment, three humans living in a Honda. After candle making one Saturday, she was going to drive to a mobile shower unit so she could bathe. While having mobile showers available for those in need is something every city should have, it is still a demoralizing experience that only reinforces the stigma of homelessness.

When we found out she was going to the mobile shower, we insisted that she take as much time as she needed and take a long hot shower in the privacy of our office and not in view of those around. You see, we are blessed to have two full bathrooms with showers in our office. I quickly drove to the store, purchased a plush bath towel, and with toiletry donations we had on hand she was able to care for herself, by herself with dignity.

Restoring dignity and eliminating barriers are core to what we are about. Our goal for this Giving Tuesday is $18,000. This is what it takes to open our doors at our office for one year.

We need: 18 -$1000 Gifts OR 36 - $500 Gifts OR 180 - $100 Gifts

We need you in order to achieve this goal so that our office can continue to be a beacon of hope and place of refuge to women we are called to serve. Donate today or mark your calendar for Tuesday the 29th if you want to give on the actual day. Thank you in advance for pouring into women rebuilding their lives.

https://www.betterunite.com/belleandsparrows-donatenow

When we started The Stella Projects candle line, our desire was to create a sustainable product that could provide employment, income, and training to women rebuilding their lives after addiction, incarceration, homelessness, domestic violence, and other traumas.

To date, we have hired two women working to make our candles while receiving paid training on skills such as personal finances, computers, and resumes/interviews. It has been incredible to see how this program and our social enterprise efforts have provided for these women.

We are excited to have businesses use our candles for branding and promotional purposes. We have realtors, mortgage groups, and banks that have created Private Labels for our candles to use at events, client appreciation, and employee gifts. This has been a great way to sell more of our candles and share more about our mission, but also for businesses to give something that is unique and impactful to the community. Every candle sold is an investment in a woman's future.

The Stella Projects candles are hand poured with 100% soy wax, phthalate-free fragrance oil, and wicks made of cotton, containing no lead, zinc, or other metals. They are beautifully boxed with matches, ready for gift giving.

The Holiday Season is the perfect time to give The Stella Projects candles to your employees, customers, and partners. If you are interested in creating a private label for our candles, please contact Lynde Griggs via email - lynde@belleandsparrows.org

 www.thestellaprojects.org

In 2018, we saw an increasing gap in services for women exiting recovery programs. This led to research, time in prayer, and the call to begin The Stella Projects. The Stella Projects' mission is to restore dignity and quality of life to women by eliminating barriers to success through entrepreneurial development, innovative education, training, and community-driven programs.

Our newest sustainability initiative under The Stella Projects is our candle line. We employ women that have graduated out of local recovery programs and are on their own, usually supporting their children. Rebuilding a life after any trauma (addiction, abuse, incarceration, homelessness, trafficking) is extremely difficult and these women need job experience, training, and money. Without someone standing in the gap for them, they are likely to return to the situations that put them in the margins, to begin with.

 We pride ourselves in making high-end candles that are made with 100% soy wax, phthalate-free fragrance oil, and wicks made of cotton, containing no lead, zinc, or other metals. Every candle is hand poured by the local artisans we employ and come beautifully packaged in a classic glass jar. We have several scents to choose from, including rotating seasonal fragrances. The perfect candle to please even the most discriminating noses!

You can find us online by clicking the website below, and you can visit us on September 18 at The Adriatica Wine Walk where we will have our candles available for purchase. We also welcome appointments at our offices located at 205 Wilcox in McKinney to tour our program and smell the candles.

https://www.belleandsparrows.org/shop

If you are interested in hosting a candle pop-up shop, private candle labels, or other ways to support The Stella Projects, please email Lynde Griggs - lynde@belleandsparrows.org

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A year after Belle and Sparrows was launched, Co-Founders Lynde Griggs and Tiffany Utech felt the prompting that they wanted to be in the community serving, empowering, and employing women who are rebuilding their lives. They saw the first segment of this come to pass when they employed their first women and launched their candle line two years ago through The Stella Projects, a program under the umbrella of Belle & Sparrows.

On Saturday, July 16, the very FIRST paid life skills training for the employees of The Stella Projects took place! A respected leader in the community volunteered her time and expertise to teach computer skills. The women employed by Belle & Sparrows are working hard to rebuild their lives and gain independence, full-time employment, and restored dignity. They have prayed for this day to come, and God has provided abundantly.

If you'd like to get involved, please visit our website for ways you can support these women & help us hire more employees for The Stella Center program. 

Belle & Sparrows has the opportunity to join a group from Michigan they've partnered with before in Guatemala July 20-27. They will be working with the women in the village while they are leading a VBS. Since 2017, Belle & Sparrows has been bringing supplies and teaching women how to embroider on cards, beverage napkins and now reusable shopping bags so they can earn income. By partnering with Belle & Sparrows and purchasing from the list, you are empowering women and helping them become economically sustainable. Thank you for investing in the lives of women throughout the world. 

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/VPBSHWKPC16B?ref_=wl_fv_le&fbclid=IwAR2qmXSSipxCzMigsGve9DtruY_bnJufKk1zzQu25VXJ0AC98JSFttLtXZc