On late-summer mornings here at Luvland Farms, the light scent of lavender reaches me as I sit with my tea and enjoy the early breeze washing over the fields near my home. During moments of calm like this, I often find myself thinking of my father. It's been two years now since he passed away at the age of 96. He'd been living at Luvland with me since 1994, when he was still fairly alert and healthy.

Throughout that time, I was privileged to receive a great gift: a glimpse into what life is like as an elderly person who needs assistance with many of the mundane tasks that we younger folks often take for granted.

Between my experiences with my father and efforts to assist my older friends who had taken me under their wings in the early part of my career, I realized it was time to do something for the elderly in need in this country. For several years I had been looking for a way to repay the people who had given me support and who had made me a household name. I had done what I set out to do: become one of the entertainment industry's most successful television reporters. Now it was time to start giving back to those who had helped me get there.

Once that friend had suggested I start growing lavender as a crop, and I realized it could be the way to "give back", I started doing my research. Over the next year and a half, my desire to help seniors in need, as I came to call my friends and others like them, blossomed into a full-fledged plan to start an organic lavender farm and fund my new non-profit group, the Rona Barrett Foundation to Save our Seniors (SOS), with a portion of the sale of each product. Soon we began planting the first fields of lavender and working on recipes and formulas that contained this very beneficial ingredient, which promotes health and well-being. I thought, if Paul Newman could generate so much money for charity with his Newman's Own™ products, maybe I could, too!

Miss Rona's Lavender gives 2% of the retail price of every product we sell to my Foundation to Save Our Seniors. Currently, our mission is to provide funds to other non profits that take care of the needs of the elderly who can no longer care for themselves by providing shelter, food, clothing, caregiving. Our goal is one day to provide day care centers where the elderly can go and give their care givers a break for the day.

It means so much to me to know that my company's mission to help Save Our Seniors is as close to your heart as it is to mine.

Sincerely,
Rona Barrett