World Bee Candle Co., World Bee Day & Honey Breakfasts

My personal connection with World Bee Day served as inspiration for the World Bee Candle Company's beginnings. World Bee Day is a celebration of honey bees and other pollinators. It raises awareness on the essential role bees and other pollinators play in keeping people and the planet healthy, and on the many challenges they face today. The United Nations designated May 20 as World Bee Day thanks to the efforts of the Government of Slovenia with the support of Apimondia.

It all started when I was introduced to the Consulate General of the Republic of Slovenia in Cleveland, Mrs. Alenka Jerak in April 2019. She shared her many experiences with World Bee Day and Honey Breakfast in Slovenia with a lot of passion. Her enthusiasm bloomed in Cleveland, Alenka’ first World Bee Day was in 2019. 

In 2019, I established the Collaborative Chambers Alliance (CCA), a network of local and international chambers. I suggested to Alenka that we promote World Bee Day by contacting CCA members, many of whom are superintendents and principals who sit on the Board of Directors for their local chambers of commerce.

In December 2020, Alenka gave me a list of seven speakers for the 2021 World Bee Day. I started organizing right away, collaborating with the Consulate General of the Republic of Slovenia in Cleveland, Lorain County Beekeepers Association (LCBA), Ohio State Beekeepers Association (OSBA), and the Euclid Chamber of Commerce for World Bee Day.

The first year, on May 20, 2021, with the help of Peggy Garnes, President of OSBA, we commemorated World Bee Day via Zoom with speakers from the USA and Slovenia. The following year, in addition to our Zoom World Bee Day on April 7, 2022, we also held an in-person celebration at Queen Right Colonies, Ltd. (QRC) in Spencer, Ohio, on May 20. Denzil and Sheila St. Clair, the proprietors of QRC, welcomed us into their honey bee and beekeeping enterprise in honor of World Bee Day. There were kid-friendly events, beekeeping demonstrations, vendors, prizes, and more going on throughout the day.

The 2023 World Bee Day at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, was a huge success. The fairgrounds donated two barns to make the event possible, which took place over two days on May 19 for students and May 20 for the general public. With the help of volunteers from the LCBA and OSBA, the Greater Cleveland Beekeepers Association added to the day's activities and educational value by presenting their bee yard.

Thanks to World Bee Day sponsorship funds and donations, future generations will receive more education on bees and other pollinators and their importance to food security and nutrition. That's why, during the second week of November, we bring beekeepers to visit local schools and feed the kids a wonderful Honey Breakfast. Following an educational session about bees and other pollinators, the kids are given bread, butter, honey, milk, and apples.  

Our needs for funds and sponsorships for World Bee Day and the Honey Breakfast are growing annually due to the increase in students attending. Thus, the WORLD BEE Candle Company was born, and my goal is to sustain this project for many years to come. All profits from World Bee Candle Company sales are donated to World Bee Day and Honey Breakfast.

Thank you to all who purchased our candles!