CARLSVILLE, Wis. — Christiana Trapani sums up the past year with one phrase.
“It’s been such a whirlwind,” she said.
What You Need To Know
- Door County Candle Company has produced more than 100,000 handmade candles for Ukraine
- Owner Christiana Trapani and her husband, Nic, were contestants on the TV game show “The Wall”
- Ukraine candle sales generated more than $1 million in donations to nonprofits helping the people of Ukraine
Trapani is the owner of Door County Candle Company.
Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Door County Candle Company started making candles with sales going to help the Ukrainian people. The idea caught fire.
“Every day it was, ‘How are we going, how are we going to do this, how are we going to fix this, how are we going to make this happen?’” Trapani said.
Candle sales have raised more than a million dollars for nonprofits assisting Ukraine. Trapani said she feels like they’ve made a difference.
“Small actions lead up to a really big positive impact,” she said. “I tell everyone with the Ukraine candle, people often say, ‘Well it’s only one candle, I’m not really doing a lot.’ But one candle and one candle and one candle got to $1 million. It’s just incredible what one person can do, but when you come together, people can truly move mountains and make such a positive impact.”
Head candlemaker Larry Mickelson has been right in the middle of making those 100,000 candles along with other staff members and volunteers.
“I like to call it chaotic,” he said with a grin. “In the beginning we kind of weren’t prepared for the onslaught of business and then we just kind of learned as we went along.”
Mickelson said he knows the work he and others do is making a difference.
“Obviously we don’t see it quite as first-hand, but you know that for the Ukrainians, it matters and it helps,” he said. “Knowing that, you feel good about what you’re doing and it doesn’t really feel like work.”
Directly tied to the Ukraine candle project, Trapani and her husband, Nic, won $1.3 million on the TV game show “The Wall” earlier this year. That money is going back into the business.
Their business is also gearing up to offer more fundraising opportunities.
“In our small little town in Door County, in Carlsville, we’ve all come together to make such a big impact,” Trapani said. “Our employees, our volunteers, the community near and far. People all across the country and the world. It’s all been part of such a big thing. It’s honestly an honor.”