Christmas Giving 2008
Dear Friends:
Just the Bates family… We are back
again this year to ask if you are all willing to help adopt some very needy
families. We started early this year as last year we found that we were
able to get even better deals on items that our families needed to make our
dollars stretch even further. In this economy we thought we had better do
the same again this year! Besides winter seems to be trying to move in so
soon our adopted kids will be cold.
By way of background for those of
you who are new to the invitation, every year we champion adopting families of
special needs children through the Macomb Infant Preschool Program (MIPP).
This is the organization that gave Jameson such phenomenal care and therapy
while he was with us. We choose needy families with children with special
needs who need a "hand up." Often, people as lucky as ourselves, do not
realize the financial, physical and emotional burden of raising special
children. They are incredible! They are worth it! But fiscally
speaking, they can set you back so that you can never recover. In the 19
months that we had Jamie, his care cost approximately $40,000 out of pocket and
we had EXCELLENT insurance. You can imagine what it does to people with
lesser insurance and with the loss of jobs in our state and the economy being in
the dumper... Anyhow, we try to help mitigate some of these costs for a
couple of families per year...
Let's meet the families that
we propose to adopt this year:
FAMILY #1
Vickie is a single Mom. She
has Reilly (16 months old) and Ray (age 7). Reilly has been diagnosed with
Infantile Spasms and is her special needs child. Many of you will be
familiar with this form of seizure activity as it was the disease that took
Jamie from us. This type of seizure disorder is the worst possible kind
for a child under the age of 5 and kills one in five children who get it.
Of those who do not die, 80% will be severely to profoundly retarded - meaning
that they will not be able to function to any degree in a normal capacity or
care for themselves ever. The remaining 20% will be mildly to moderately
affected. Reilly is developmentally 6 months old and her prognosis is not
good. Mom had to quit her job as a manager at fast food chain to take care
of Reilly since family members and daycare options are not available as they are
not qualified to care for such a sick child.
Reilly and Ray Need:
Winter coats, pajamas, winter clothing, shoes, boots, hats, gloves, toys (they
have almost none)
Mom
Needs:
She says she needs food and gas cards
FAMILY #2
Barbara is the 34 year old mom.
She and her husband Lee (age 33) are trying very hard to make ends meet with
sick children and the apartment building that they have been living in is in
foreclosure. As a result, they will have to find the money to move and
find a new place to live. Alexzandria is 13 months old. She has
multiple health issues including cleft lip and palate which has required
multiple surgeries, severe hypotension and feeding issues requiring g-tube
placement. She is just now beginning to eat baby food. She has a
sister - Savannah (3 years old) who has speech and language delays, an autistic
brother - Zachary (age 5), and a brother – Lee 7 years old), with speech issues,
asthma and eczema.
Alexzandria,
Savannah, Zachary and Lee Need: Winter coats, pajamas, winter clothing, shoes,
socks, boots, hats, gloves, books, toys (they have very few)
Her Parents Need:
Food, coats, clothes, shoes, gas cards and a toaster
FAMILY #3
Single Mom, Marlene, is
20 years old and is raising Crystalis (age 2) and Drake who is one year old and
was born prematurely. At birth he experienced respiratory distress and ruptured
his lung which required surgery. He now exhibits significant developmental
delays. Crystalis will soon be evaluated for concerns regarding her speech
and language development. Marlene is unable to work as Drake needs
substantial special care. The family has had to move three times since
September and is experiencing extreme financial difficulty. Marlene has
had a hard time paying for food, diapers and clothes and does not own a car.
Drake and Crystalis Need:
Winter coats, pajamas, winter clothing, shoes, socks, boots, hats, gloves,
diapers, books, toys (they have almost none)
Mom Needs:
Food, clothes, shoes, boots, gloves, hat and a coat
FAMILY #4
Melissa (Age 23) and
Sharod (Age 22) are raising Maliyah (10 months old) and Julian (Age 2). Maliyah
has Cerebral Palsy, sever reflux and periodic respiratory distress.
Melissa quit her job to care for Maliyah who stops breathing without warning.
The family is having a hard time paying for diapers and clothes.
Maliyah and Julian Need:
Winter coats, pajamas, winter clothing, shoes, socks, boots, hats, gloves,
diapers, books, toys
Her Parents Need:
Coats, clothes, gloves and hats
We know how tight money is this year
for everyone. However, as Christmas approaches and we all realize how much
we have, both financially and in our family/friend support system(s), we ask you
to take a moment and consider helping others. Every penny counts.
Whether you can donate $5 or $500, we will put it to the best use we can and the
value that our combined funds and efforts can have to others less fortunate than
ourselves is tremendous. We pool the funds and meet as many of the needs
of these families as possible.
Kohl's on
26 Mile Road in
Shelby
Township, generously gave us
significant discounts on the merchandise that we purchased in their store.
As a result, everything bought at Kohl's cost about $0.35 on the dollar, they
made a $500 contribution and they wrapped all of the gifts for our families.
They have agreed to help out again this year! Thank you Kohl’s!
Additionally, we have other vendors
that give us discounts or contributions and contribute yearly because they care.
If we have more money than we need for these four families, there are other
families in need that we will help.
Also, because we ask that checks be
made payable to: SCF - Jamie's Smiles (Christmas) your contribution is tax
deductible (please speak with a tax professional for details). If you
prefer you can also contribute items, but these will not be tax deductible.
If you are interested, please
email me with your commitment and/or send your check to us at: PO Box 183181,
Shelby Twp., MI 48318 as soon as possible. We have already begun to
purchase some items and will deliver the items in early December. Thank
you again! If you have any questions I will be happy to speak with you,
please send an email to
info@JamiesSmiles.org.
Thank you for time and
consideration!
The Bates Family
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