Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Lindman.
Jenna, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My name is Jenna Lindman and I am a cancer survivor of almost 5 years. Battling cancer is the hardest thing I have ever had to go through, but thanks to the encouragement of family and friends and my amazing team of doctors, I survived. While I was going through chemo, I received cards and words of encouragement from acquaintances and strangers who heard about what I was going through.
There was something special about someone who didn’t know me that wanted to say ‘hey, I hope you’re doing alright.’ I decided that I wanted to try to bring that feeling to others. With my fiancé, Patrick Lopardo, and friends Tino Spears and Kristy Young, we created IgniteHope!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest challenge I faced when forming IgniteHope was the fear that I wouldn’t be making a difference. As we started to donate candles to people battling cancer this thought of, “What if this isn’t helping anyone?” ran through my mind. At the time we had been donating candles to Imerman Angels (an amazing Chicago-based cancer nonprofit) who were giving the candles out to patients waiting for treatment at Northwestern and UIC oncology units.
Their volunteer coordinator, Jackie, asked me to come along to one of their hospital socials so I could see the impact our candles were having. I was nervous at first, I hadn’t been in an oncology unit since I had gone through treatment, but I wanted to see if we were doing any good. When we got there, I started approaching people and telling them what IgniteHope was and gave them a candle. The response was moving. Everyone I gave a candle to was thrilled to receive one.
They opened up and told me about what they were going through expressed to me how much IgniteHope meant to them. After that, I felt confident that we were empowering people to make it through their cancer battle.
Please tell us about IgniteHope.
IgniteHope is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering those touched by cancer. We do this by making candles that have messages of inspirations hidden in pods throughout the candle. They are discovered as the candle burns. We sell these candles and we donate a candle with each candle purchased to someone battling cancer. We also raise money for cancer-related expenses.
As we grow, we hope to have a center where we can have support groups, do art therapy, and offer support to caregivers of those battling cancer. What sets us apart is our drive to empower people to make it through their battles. We believe that having a network of support and someone to encourage you are key to making it through the tough times.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
If I were to start over, I would be more confident from the beginning that what we are doing is important.
Pricing:
- an 8oz candle is $12
- a 16oz candle is $22
Contact Info:
- Address: 0n055 Beverly St Wheaton, IL 60187
- Website: www.ignitehopecandles.org
- Phone: 6302050200
- Email: jenna@ignitehopecandle.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/ignitehopecandles
- Facebook: facebook.com/ignitehopecandles
- Other: etsy.com/shop/ignitehope
Image Credit:
Tyler Bednar
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