(gentle music begins) - And we thought, well, someday when we leave the busyness of running back and forth to New York City, and DC, and Grand Rapids, we're going to create a lavender farm, and slow down a little bit, and enjoy nature.

- [Stefanie] Around 2016, Vickie Bennett and her husband Vic traded in traffic and skyscrapers for a cornfield and tractors.

- [Vickie] We thought this would be a great place to put a home, put the lavender field.

Took the corn off, started planting our first lavender plants in 2017.

Started an online store in 2018.

- [Stefanie] But their love for lavender was about to flourish in unexpected ways.

- [Vickie] And around that time we were introduced to a little boy, two years old, very traumatized little guy from the foster care system.

And it just so happened to be that we were creating our very first plush little bunnies, and they were filled with Michigan cherry pits and lavender, and the little guy, we gave one to him, thinking perhaps this could help him.

Lavender helps to calm down adults as well as children.

And he wasn't sleeping well.

So we gave it to his mama to give to him.

And the next day our daughter came and said, "Mom, this was a game changer for him.

He slept for the first time for us and he's not as fussy anymore.

This is a huge thing for him."

And we didn't have a name for this little critter yet, so we called it, after him, we named it Xander Bunny.

- [Stefanie] That first little stuffed bunny named Xander quickly took on a life of its own with the Xander Friends collection.

- And we also thought, well, if this could help him so much, perhaps it could help other children in foster care.

So we decided that we would donate one to a child in foster care for every one we sold.

And since that time, we've kept our promise, and it's been nearly 90,000 have gone into the foster care system.

- [Stefanie] The Xander Bunny and friends are stuffed with lavender grown here on the farm.

In fact, from cookies to lotion, soap to syrup, everything you buy here is made with it.

- [Vickie] They're made, and they're made right on site.

So we're one of those lavender farms that not only grows it, harvests it, dries it, but then also creates all the products with it.

- [Stefanie] In the summer months, visitors can traverse through the rows and rows of lavender, smell it, cut it, and even take it home with them.

It's a beautiful property with plenty of seating areas to just sit, relax, and take it all in.

The gift shop is filled with various lavender products, including of course the Xander friends.

For Vickie, raising awareness for kids in the foster care system and helping them is extremely close to her heart.

- For the bunny, it's the ears, the dog, it's the ears.

Something for little ones to carry it around with.

So the little heart on the bottom of the foot signifies that the little children are loved and not alone.

- [Stefanie] Vic and Vickie have made it their mission to provide Xander friends to foster kids across Michigan and the country.

They've established connections with agencies to figure out how many are needed and where.

When customers purchase one Xander Friend, another is automatically donated to a child in foster care.

- So for us, it's been amazing to be able to tell them the story over and over again about Xander and how that is our mission of our company.

And then of course they do just enjoy the property in general.

We love the development of it, we love the creation.

In fact, that's probably our weakness as well is we don't know when to stop creating.

There are so many fun things out there, and as soon as we go away on vacation to give ourselves a moment, it's not about chilling out, it's about what else can we do?