Triple Decker Candle Co. on Saturday will launch a set of special candles in collaboration with Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The candles will represent the five wishes the nonprofit offers: to have, to go, to meet, to be, and to give back. The final candle celebrates Make-A-Wish’s 40th anniversary. 

They were created by Johanna Keough, who has always loved candles but has a sensitivity to the chemicals and fragrances that are often found in stores. During the pandemic, Keough dedicated her time to creating safer candle types and, eventually, her own business, Triple Decker Candle Co. The company’s name was inspired by the three-story house that Keough lives in.

The Dorchester resident takes pride that her 100 percent soy wax candles are being poured and sold in Boston. Since her brand is rooted in being local, she strives to give back to other local businesses, nonprofits, and people. 

“Since I started, I’ve done quarterly fundraiser candles, so I would pick a super local nonprofit. I try to focus on Boston or Dorchester, and four times a year I will run a month-long special candle,” said Keough. “I’ll sell the candle for $20, and I’ll donate 50 percent, so $10 per candle goes to the nonprofit.” 

Her most recent collaboration is with Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The nonprofit’s chief advancement officer, George Deveney, is also a Dorchester resident and a regular customer at Triple Decker Candle Co. So Deveney and Keough combine their passions to collaborate on a Make-A-Wish candle. 

Like Keough, Deveney found inspiration for the project during Covid time. “Wishes are all around us,” said Deveney. “During the pandemic, I spent a lot of time out in our front yard engaging with neighbors. I came across some who had been granted wishes when they were younger, so you realize the more you look around, the more families and communities’ lives have all been touched by the power of a wish come true.”

For this fundraiser, Deveney connected Keough with seven Make-A-Wish children. Two of theminterpreted and illustrated the wishes of the five other Make-A-Wish kids.

“We started off as we were going to do one candle. Then we [thought] maybe we should do two candles, one that celebrates Make-A-Wish’s 40th anniversary and another one that’s representative of a wish,” said Deveney. “But really there are five kinds of wish types and at the end of our meeting someone said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if we had a candle for every wish type?’”

They finally arrived at six candles: five wishes and an anniversary candle, all of which can be purchased either individually, or as a complete set beginning this Saturday (Sept.9).

The artwork on the candles was completed by Make-A-Wish children Mikayla Morais and Aisha Ramos-Gomes, who is also a Dorchester resident.

The first candle Triple Decker announced was the “To Have” one. The bamboo and coconut-scented candle shares 17-year-old Cameron Allen’s wish for custom-fitted golf clubs. The Mendon resident has Marfan’s Syndrome, which prevents him from playing contact sports. Allen did not let his diagnosis stop him from competing and he discovered a passion for golf. His 7-foot-1 stature, however, makes it difficult to find clubs that fit.

The second candle shares 7-year-old Raelyn Augusto’s wish to be a pastry chef. Augusto is from Lincoln, Rhode Island, and was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). She used her wish to travel to California and work in a kitchen with professionals. Her candle is inspired by her time cooking and baking, scented like lemon pound cake.

The remaining three wish candles will be announced as the launch day approaches. They display Celia Jan’s wish to go to Hawaii, Jose Rios-Bello’s wish to meet a sports legend, and Allison Brock’s wish to give back by planting trees along the railway.

Before working with Make-A-Wish, Keough did not fully realize the impact the nonprofit had on her community. “When I first knew about Make-A-Wish, it seemed like this huge, broad company that was kind of just all over the country. But when I talked to George and learned more about it, I was surprised to learn that the wishes are granted to kids who live in Dorchester, in Boston, in Massachusetts,” she said. “This is a local nonprofit helping local families.”

The collaboration between Make-A-Wish and Triple Decker Candle Co. can, she says, help other Bostonians realize what’s happening in their neighborhoods and purchasing the candles gives residents an easy and accessible way to make a difference.

“I think Make-A-Wish has a reputation of being a big nonprofit that doesn’t need our help and doesn’t make a difference right in our backyards. But that’s not the case,” Keough said. “I hope these candles help Dorchester and Boston people realize that this is a local nonprofit helping their neighbors and their friends.”

Candles can be purchased beginning on Sept. 9 online at tripledeckercandleco.com or in Triple Decker’s storefront at 2258 Dorchester Ave., which is open every Saturday. Additional store hours are shared on social media at instagram.com/tripledeckercandleco.