A local man, who started a candle company, is looking for a family to help with a private adoption this holiday season.
"Our goal with making candles is a way for you to buy a product that is made with 100% soy, American-grown soy, American-grown cotton, but at the same time, we're going to fund adoptions all over green country," says Matt Vasquez, owner of Daymaker and Company.
He and his wife started the business three months, and so far have made more than 4,000 candles. Some are available at local shops like Thrive Chiropractic Clinic and Ida Red in Tulsa.
Vasquez says 20% of each sale will go toward helping families offset legal fees and other costs with private adoptions.
According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, it can cost a family up to $45,000 to privately adopt a child in the United States. The costs vary depending on the agency or attorney, but it can put a stress on couples wanting to start a family.
"Some families are new to Tulsa, are new to the area, and they know nobody. So they're kind of out there on their own. So we leverage our relationships and our influence in order to create this family at the end of it all," says Vasquez.
He also adds his small business is helping employ people who come from struggling backgrounds.
"We've hired men and women that have come out of incarceration, have a background that's just not going to get them the average job," says Vasquez.
He hopes they are able to find a family they can help by the end of December.
"It is one of those things that you go to sleep with your heart full, and you wake up ready to do it again," says Vasquez.
Unlike with private agencies and attorneys, the public welfare system offers adoptions that are financially feasible.
Oklahoma's Department of Human Services covers all the legal fees and offers adoptions are no charge. A spokesperson says there are 600 foster children looking for a loving family.
Since October 1, there have been about 8,300 children put in foster care. These are children whose parents' rights have been terminated due to abuse or neglect.
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