Fueled by our belief that no refugee should be overlooked, Relume builds meaningful career and leadership pathways—to honor resilience, restore dignity, and relight hope.
United by our shared belief that friendship is mutually transformative, and moved by the need for employment by our refugee friends, we were convinced that we could do something to make a difference. We built on a long-term friendship to create a mission-driven business, and Relume was born. Relume was conceived in the joy of friendship with people from around the world and in the tears and anger when they were turned away from job after job. We passionately want more for our world and from our world: more love, more humility, more dignity. As we work alongside our refugee employees, we find hope being relit every day, and our desire is that everyone who encounters Relume will be inspired to relight hope for those around them.
Eiman is one of Relume’s first hires as a candle maker. She is 25 years old, born in Syria. At the age of ten, war broke out in her home country and she fled with her family to Jordan. She met her husband, Tarek in 2018 and they now have two small boys together. In December 2024, they arrived in the United States to start a new life and build a better future for their family. The beginning was not easy – they faced many challenges, from language barriers to finding steady employment. They found belonging and home when they met some Americans who became friends; friends who ate meals with them, cried with them in their struggles, and celebrated their successes as they established their new life in the states. Now, Eiman is excited to work for Relume, and hopes “it will be a bright future for all of us.”
Maguno is one of Relume’s first hires as a candle maker. Originally from the Congo, she left her country in the 1990s due to war. When asked about her story, she says, “there were too many challenges to count.” She lived in a refugee camp in Tanzania with her family for 30 years until she arrived in Olympia in 2023, along with two of her adult sons. Maguno looks forward to “working in peace and security” with Relume.
Love is the driving force behind all that we do. We engage each other with compassion, honesty, curiosity, and hope.
We welcome the other in hope that those who were once strangers become friends. Patiently listening, we seek to understand before being understood.
Every person holds inherent value. People are not a commodity and friendships are mutually transformative.
Burning, but not consumed. What we do is not worthwhile if it consumes us or those who Relume with us.
