Xander Community
Thank you for your interest in getting Xander Friends to all the children in foster care in your county. Complete this Inquiry Form when you have read this blog in its entirety and are ready to join the grassroots Xander Movement.
Thanks for your interest in bringing comfort to our most vulnerable kids and to restoring families! We are so humbled to have come up with an idea that:
1. Brings therapy and comfort to kids in trauma;
2. Encourages those on the front lines of the rescue; and
3. Brings awareness and mobilizes communities around the faceless crisis of child abuse and foster care.
Background:
We at
Lavender Life Company, are passionate about rescuing kids at risk. By producing & selling multiple, excellent lavender products for all ages (including culinary, apothecary, & skin care), God has lead us to create an engine to mobilize others in the mission to give a warmable, lavender-filled Xander Friend (Bunny, Dog or Cat) to all 440,000+ children in foster care, and to encourage those on the front lines rescuing kids. We do this through our
Xander Community 501 c3, named after grandson Xander, who entered the family as a 2-yr-old child in foster care. Lavender helps lessen anxiety, improves sleep and provides calming therapy for children in foster care going through traumatic transitions. Xander helped stuff the first bunnies we sold and was so helped by his bunny, that we decided right away to donate one to a child in foster care for each one we sold. We hire young adults who have aged out of the foster care system when we can. Since our online store opened in April of 2018,
Lavender Life Company has donated nearly 96,000 Xander Friends to more than 100 Xander Community Partners in 352 counties in 30 states and 6 different countries .
Community Partners:
Since January 1,2020, we have been propelling our donations through Xander Community Partnerships, many of which are church/faith/based, that are committed to "adopt" their county in the Xander Friend Project. We are looking to develop more Partners everywhere. We ship our donations in August, September and October. The deadline for request is July 1 for the calendar year. Requests for the following year can be made at any time. A Xander Bunny Community Partner is committing to:
1. Connecting with ALL foster and/or kinship care agencies in their county (We recognize that not all agencies, though it is rare, may not want Xander Friends);
2. Ascertain the #'s of children entering the foster and/or kinship care system each month, and total #'s served annually;
3. Receive Xander kits for the entire year for children in foster and/or kinship care only, for those agencies that want Xander Friends. Quantities 300+ will be shipped on pallets 36"X36"X 65" (up to 600 Xanders/pallet- up to 650 lbs).
4. Put the kits together (stuff lavender pouch in bunny; and place in the backpack) - approximately 2 minutes/Xander;
5. Deliver to ALL agencies that want them, as they need them; &
6. Freight shipments ($.70-2.25/ea Xander, depending on volume and distance shipped) is a cost picked up by a community partner, and often sponsors pick up this cost ( Shipments may also be picked up on the farm in west Michigan).
6. Spread the word - it benefits us all to help spread the word about Xander Community, for we are only able to donate one for each one sold. It's just us 9 and an army of volunteers!
As Leigh Ann Luttrell in, Jacksonville, Florida reports, "These Xander Friends are so much more than a philanthropic gesture - they are bringing hope, peace and collaboration to an entire system that is broken and in despair."
Are you aware of a church or a group that could be a Xander Friend Community Partner that we could donate to regularly in the future? Do you have any ideas as how to spread the word, to increase sales in your area, so we can secure donations? Send me any questions or ideas that you may have.
Thank you again, for your role and interest in the rescue of the many Xanders out there! If you are interested in taking on your entire county, complete this Xander Community Partner Inquiry Form. We ship our donations in August, September and October. The deadline for request is July 1 for the calendar year. Requests for the following year can be made at any time This allows us to better plan for product and volunteer groups on our end. Together, we can bring awareness of a great need in our communities, and together we CAN get a Xander Friend in the hands of all 440,000+ children in foster care, reminding them they ARE loved and NOT alone.
For All God's Kids,
Vic & Vickie Bennett - Xander Community
Info@XanderCommunity.org
18 Comments
We are from Nebraska and wod live to see Xander Bunnies available for the foster children in our community. Is there anything I can do to help make this happen? We are foster parents and have been for many years . We have fostered hundreds of children and would love info on how we can bring this project to Nebraska!
Thank you for all you do
Sue
Hello,
We are foster family in Rowan county and currently have two kids placed with us, I thought those bunnies were adorable and wanted to learn more about your organization.
Good morning! I am in Statesboro, GA and would like more information about this program. My husband is not only a minister, but the Associational Missionary for the Ogeechee River Baptist Association here.
If you are interested in having a ministry opportunity here, please contact me. We are, also, just an hour from Savannah and Augusta is just an hour and a half away.
I hope to hear from you soon. Have a blessed day.
In His Love,
Kay M. Abercrombie