It's been a while...

My goodness life gets large sometimes. Even though my “jobs” are still on hold as Covid-19 continues, I am very good at keeping busy.

I am very dedicated to Khala Naturals more than ever simply because the pandemic has showed all of us how important our health and well-being truly is something to be cherished.

Khala Naturals turned 5 in March and I had a whole plan laid out for specials, new products, and new marketing ideas.

All that fell apart on March the 7th. One of my childhood best friends passed away suddenly after complications from breast cancer treatment. Linda was a kind soul who loved music, her family, creative writing, and, most recently, cooking. Heck, I bought an Instapot simply because the food posts she was putting up were incredible.

Linda was only 42 years old. She had a husband and two children aged 15 and 8.

Instead of being just incredibly shocked and saddened by her death, I wanted to do something that would make her proud. Granted, she would likely have blushed and insisted that nothing needed to be done for her, but that’s not how I wanted her to go.

My husband and I set up a plan to raise money for The Breast Cancer Society of Canada. Linda’s family suggested donating to The Heart and Stroke Foundation and to a foundation that helped children and young adults. We decided to do a two part fundraiser. I had made a soap a few years ago and needed a name for it. Linda laughingly suggested that I name it after her. I thought it was a great idea. So…Hampton Rose was born. In true quirky fashion, Hampton Rose does not smell like rose, but it is infused with lavender I was gifted by my godmother, Carol, and spearmint my mom and I grow in our gardens, plus, my mom bought me the rose soap moulds for Christmas. It was a total family thing and I loved it.

Fast forward to just after Linda passed, I realized I had this soap and it had a direct connection to her. Why not take all the proceeds from that soap and donate it to a worthy cause. So I did. Then I wondered how else to make a difference…and that’s where the second part of the fundraiser came in. I would donate 50% of all the other soap and skin care products sales to both The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, and to Keystone Child, Youth , and Family Services Centre in Owen Sound, Ontario. That’s where Linda worked and she loved her job helping all sorts of people get through this crazy thing called life.

So I launched the fundraiser with a video on a Wednesday night. That was likely the hardest thing I have ever done in my TV career. By the next morning, I had over 1400 views and lots of shares. And the orders came in for the soap. I am humbled and happy that I was able to resonate with so many people who loved Linda.

We have raised over $1300 alone for the Breast Cancer Society and more for Heart & Stroke and Keystone.

The pre-order for the soaps will stop on March 31st. However, on April 1, I have a pre-order going for Khala Naturals’ swag until the end of April. $5 from every item purchased will also be donated to The Breast Cancer Society. If you notice, it has a rose in the background. One more way to help get money to researchers and treatment professionals to help battle this insidious disease.

Thank you for reading and thank you so much for your support.

BJ