Community Corner

Dexter Family Raises Money for Clean Water in African Villages

The Varblow family is selling handmade soap to raise money for the nonprofit group World Vision.

What started as a lesson in materialism has turned into a passion for four children in Dexter Township.

The Varblow family — Shawn, 13; Jimmy, 11; Joey, 9; and Katie, 4 — together with their parents, Matt and Rachael, are on a mission of love to raise money for clean water in poor African villages.

The children, who are home-schooled, watched videos on YouTube of youths in Africa carrying water infected with parasites for miles through rough terrain to their villages.

Find out what's happening in Dexterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"I felt like we were getting a little too materialistic, and so I showed my kids the videos so they could see how blessed they are," Rachael Varblow said.

The videos had profound impact on the family.

Find out what's happening in Dexterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We were horrified to learn of guinea worms and to see women digging in the mud beside a river to find water, then carrying 70-pound containers on their backs for miles as they returned to their homes," Rachael wrote on the family's blog. "After watching the videos, my son Jimmy said, 'Mom, how about we cancel our trip to Disney World and use the money to buy a well for an African village?'"

Shawn said the family began brainstorming ideas to raise money — everything from giving up their Christmas presents to holding a garage sale — in order to raise the $2,600 to build a well.

"We had just completed a lesson on making soap, and it was fairly cheap, so we decided it would be a fun idea to sell soap bars in the community," Rachael said. "Soap costs about a dollar a bar to make. If we sold it for just $3 a bar, we could sell 1,300 bars and have enough to pay for a well. And so the kids, and by extension Matt and I, committed to making and selling the soap."

The soap, which is one 100 percent organic and 100 percent vegetable, comes in several varieties, including lemon grass, lavender, cinnamon, oatmeal and a Christmas blend of fir and cyprus oil.

"My favorite part is selling the bars," Jimmy said.

The family approached several local churches, including Peace Lutheran Church near Dexter and Cross and Resurrection Lutheran Church in Ypsilanti, that have embraced the project.

"We tried approaching local businesses, but that has not panned out yet," Rachael said.

So far, the boys have sold 1,161 bars through the help of their friends and extended family members.

"We don't have any plans to stop," Joey said.

Rachael said the boys plan to sell the bars at Dexter Daze and the Dexter Farmers Market in the summer.

"This is one of those things that shows children are capable of anything," Rachael said. "They are very committed to the project and know more about soap than most kids their age.

"If you have a common purpose, you make a great team."

For more information on the family's soap project or to order soap bars, visit wellspring.varblow.net/ or email wellspring@varblow.net.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here