Few of us can't appreciate the ambient glow and delicious scent of a great soy candle.  Add to that a dash of natural botanicals, cool upcycled materials, and proceeds feeding directly back into the futures of the hands that made them, and you've got a winning combination.  

That's the exact formula Dreambean Eco Home & Bath uses; the money brought in by its sales goes straight back into programming to help the at-risk young women who make Dreambean's products by hand.

Dreambean's partner program, "Bright Endeavors" by New Moms Inc., is a Chicago-based social enterprise helping adolescent mothers ensure positive futures for themselves and their children.  Its process is two-fold, providing both current employment and long-term career development for the women involved in its program.  

Young moms enter the program through a four-week practicum teaching them the basics of manufacturing, inventory, marketing, and customer service through the production and sales of eco-friendly candle and bath products. One of its most notable products: natural soy candles presented in upcycled Boylan ginger ale bottles.

The primary reason it works has much to do with its simple humanitarian approach: "For the first time in many participants' lives, they feel needed, and they are excited to come to work in a nurturing environment." Creativity and resourcefulness are rewarded, and employees are encouraged to participate in sales events and even suggest product recipe modifications of their own.  Proceeds then go directly to the administration of a four-month transitional internship in the field of each participant's choice, ushering them thoughtfully onto a path they might not otherwise have been given the opportunity to follow.  

Not only do Dreambean's young moms benefit from a vote of confidence and a hearty dose of productive employment experience -- so too, undoubtedly, do their kids.

Dreambean products are available for purchase online.