Update 11/29/21:  While we have been vigorously campaigning to raise funds for our organization, my mother passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly on 11/22/21.  My mom was a huge supporter of our dream and her oldest grandson, Tyler, was one of the inspirations for the origins of Xceptional Heroes.  Donations have been collected in her honor and memory over the past week and I would like to document here that I have deposited an additional $650 in contributions to our account.  We are so blessed and thankful for everyone's kindness and generosity.  We would like to thank: Shelbi & David Redmond, Connie & Jay Parker, Mary Deering, Gayla Butler, Chris Faith, Bonnie & Bill Brady, Peggy & Mike Ellis, Joseph & Kim Halbeck, "The Romeo's", James & Pam Kummer, Ron & Connie Osborn.  We are so grateful to all of you, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Hi! My name is Teresa White and my business partner, Jennifer Silverton, and I have finally realized our dream of establishing a non-profit group called Xceptional Heroes in Grand Blanc, MI! We serve a population of young adults who are cognitively, intellectually, and/or physically disabled in our local area by providing structured activities, life-enrichment skills, independent living skills, etc!

 

Both Jennifer and I have raised differently-abled children who grew up together in the Grand Blanc community. It was a shocking realization when our sons graduated from High School to see the lack of community resources available to individuals who are challenged or differently-abled than others. The school environment provided structure, social outlets, sporting activities, etc. Once school was over, we were left wondering how to fill that void. My son immediately became isolated from daily contact with friends, he had no direction nor purpose, and due to his challenges, going out and working a "normal" job daily just wasn't realistic. Speaking only for my son, he lacked the cognitive ability to just reach out to friends and initiate contact, not recognizing the important aspects of his life that had gone missing because of a simple life change.

 

Jennifer and I have fostered this little family of ours for several years; creating engaging activities for them so they could continue to maintain their friendships and social interactions, remain physically and mentally active, and to provide life-enrichment skills such as cooking, problem-solving, finances, etc. COVID has been particularly difficult for this population and the isolation of being forced to stay home has had a very negative impact on their normally happy dispositions. We have operated by self-funding activities, requesting small contributions from our participants to attend these activities, and we maintain our "operating funds" from an envelope! We are the epitome of "grass roots"!

 

It is our dream, wish, and ultimate goal to continue to build this family to extend far beyond Grand Blanc and Genesee County to include all young adults without resources to an inclusive community and have access to simple human contact that fosters a happy and fulfilling life! We are making great strides and have so many amazing plans (both short-term and long-term) for our future! Your generous donation to our family will assist us to realize our immediate goals of maintaining these activities as well as provide the means to allow us to plan more strategic, long-term goals such as a permanent facility, a staff of volunteers/mentors, as well as many other items on our "dream board"! Thank you very much for your willingness to help us change the culture of inclusion and acceptance of those who are differently-abled and give them a meaningful, purposeful life! Please keep your eyes open for our activities as we launch this foundation and begin reaching out to the community! We would love to see you at our events!

 

Also, if you are someone or know someone who is differently-abled who would benefit from our services, PLEASE feel free to reach out! We are currently located as Xceptional Heroes on Facebook, but we are working to expand our social media presence with the funds we collect! Wonderful things are on the horizon for us and we are unspeakably blessed to be able to serve these amazing people!

 

We are a non-profit so your donations are tax deductible and a letter can be issued for income tax purposes!