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USC student turns Crayons into candles for hurricane relief

By Terry Kish For The Almanac Writer@thealmanac.Net 3 min read
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Entrepreneur and philanthropist aren’t words typically used to describe an elementary school student. But Nathan Powell of Upper St. Clair isn’t your typical third-grader.

After seeing the aftermath of the recent hurricanes that ravaged Texas and Florida, Nathan wanted to do something to help those affected. After some brainstorming, he decided to make candles out of broken or used Crayons and sell them to raise money.

Calling his project “Color Me Candles,” Nathan has set a goal to raise $1,000. Nathan knew he was going to need to make a lot of candles, and that would take a lot of broken Crayons. He approached his principal at Streams Elementary School to see if he could collect Crayons donated by his fellow students.

“As a school principal, nothing is more heartwarming than when a student takes the lessons that we are teaching, and turns them into independent actions to benefit others,” Principal Claire Miller said. “When Nathan came to me with his ideas, my first question was, ‘How can Streams School help you with your plans?’ I was so excited to support his initiative and caring spirit.”

With a source for Crayons established, Nathan got to work on the production process. He explained that his first candles were made of only melted Crayons, which proved difficult to pour. After watching a “You Tube” video, Nathan changed the formula to include Crisco to make a more liquid wax.

To make the candles, a production line was set up in the garage. Crayons are unwrapped and sorted by color into individual plastic cups. The crayons are then ground up in a blender, placed in a paper bowl with two scoops of Crisco, and microwaved until melted. After a quick stir to blend the wax, his mom or dad pours the hot wax into glass jars that have had wicks placed inside. The finished candles are left to harden.

Kelly Powell, Nathan’s mother, said the Streams community has rallied around the project. She explained that Nathan originally started making the candles in the kitchen, but after receiving donations of an old microwave and blender to chop the crayons, the process moved to the garage. Kelly said some people have donated jars and wicks, and others have donated money to help purchase candle-making supplies.

“Color Me Candles” has become a family affair for the Powells. In addition to Nathan’s parents helping with the hot wax, Nathan’s sisters Emily, a fifth grade student at Boyce Middle School, and Paige, a first-grader at Streams, help with sorting crayons by color and putting wicks in the bottles.

When asked his thoughts about making over 100 candles, Nathan commented, “It’s hard work.”

Kelly said it’s been inspiring to watch Nathan’s idea come to fruition.

“It’s grown so much bigger than we thought it would.”

Most candles will be sold for about $5, but the smaller ones will cost less. Nathan plans to donate the money he raises from Color Me Candles to the Red Cross.

Nathan’s father, Brad, has set up a website for Nathan to sell the candles at www.colormecandles.com. For additional information, email nathan@colormecandles.com.

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