Post #16: Band Together . . . Play Together!

Friends... Our site has been live since May 4, 2019.  I just wanted to say May The Fourth Be With You... and did!   Bandit Balls are now in 15 states and growing! Thanks and hugs go out to all who have followed this story thus far.

There is still much work left to do... marketing and fulfilling orders.  Getting more stuff onto the Bandit Ball Channel on YouTube.  Thinking of wild and wacky promotions.  Developing original Bandit Ball games!  All.... well, most... a lot of fun!   Hey if there are no challenges, it's not worthwhile...right?

Updates:

Our trademark's "Statement of Use"  was officially accepted by the U.S.P.T.O.  on May 13, 2019.  This means we can put an ® by our name and we officially own it! 

Not to be outdone, our utility patent #10,300,346 was granted on May 28, 2019. Both of these are super cool and important milestones!

Safety Rating . . . Ages 1 and Up!

The Bandit Ball was safety tested by the Intertek Testing Labs in Algonquin, Illinois and has been safety rated for ages 1 and up.  This is also a milestone and required for any toy being sold in North America.  For me it means that my youngest grandson can have at it. Well...almost. He's 10 months here, but he's my grandson!

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 Our Goal... add joy to play and physical activity.  Our Mission... give Bandit Balls to kid centered organizations and donate to worthy causes.  We have begun both of these!

On July 29, 2019 we gave 30 Bandit Balls to the Beau Grant Foundation S.O.S. Kids Camp.  This was our first ball outreach and there will be more to come.  It was a beautiful experience to go out to the Ingersoll Scout Reservation in London Mills, IL and bless these kids.  Each one has been affected by the suicide of someone close to them. Thanks to Jessie Grant and family, themselves survivors just like me, for their hearts in providing a place for healing and fun.

Here are the customized wristbands for the kids at the camp.

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In August we are donating one dollar for each Bandit Ball sold on our website to St. Jude in honor of our brother, Pete Parkhurst, who lost his long fought battle with cancer in May, 2019. One Dollar from every ball. To Kids. To Help. To Hope. 

Pete in Chetek, Wisconsin... 2016

My advisers, of which there have been many, have said to wait to start giving funds until The Bandit Ball Project is profitable. But, you know... our time on this earth is short. The funding outreach won't happen every month, but it's important and it is happening now.

Bandit Ball Around the Country...

We are getting pictures and testimonials in from lots of places.  Kids of all ages are loving this product! This in itself is pretty cool, but more so because it will lead to more outreaches and even more fun!

Send us your Bandit Balls photos... we love it!

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In July we also exhibited at the Peoria PlayHouse in Glen Oak Park in Peoria as a part of their "Be Anything Career Day".  There teaching kids about cool hands-on careers were an artist, a musician, a group of dancers, an engineer, a landscape architect, a construction guy    and a toy inventor.  It was great fun and we so enjoyed reaching out to the community!

Well that is enough for now!  We've been busy and blessed...

    Be the Ball .   .   .   .   .   .   .   . Be the Beach .   .   .   .   .   .   . Be Happy!