On November 4, 2025 the Macomb Infant Preschool Program (MIPP) and Kensington Community Church serving a combined total of over 1,600 students with special needs in Macomb County, received grants totaling $5,000 from Jamie’s Smiles for current projects and equipment. The money from these grants is for the purchase of therapy items and toys that will promote expressive communication skills, enhanced speech therapy, physical therapy aids, fine and gross motor skills, cognitive development, and sensory toys to name a few. Some items will be used on site at their locations and others will be utilized as short-term loan equipment for families to use for child development and in-home teaching.
When asked about their projects Bates said, “We appreciate the amazing grant requests. We are extremely passionate about helping children, especially children with special needs. These programs are fantastic and have adapted their teaching and therapy methods to continue to improve the lives of children with special needs like our son. We are so thankful to have such amazing early intervention programs in our own backyard to continue to help so many children progress and excel.”