2026 Holiday Giving

Dear Friends:

We are just a hop, skip, and a jump from the holidays and with them the needs of others and helping members of our community in need becomes a priority to us because we are blessed to be a blessing to others.

This is the Bates family’s 30th year of adopting families with our family and friends and our 22nd year adopting families through the Macomb Infant Preschool Program (MIPP). We have decided to "completely adopt" the following family of four this year:

Caroline & Cameron's Family

We are adopting Caroline, (13 months), her baby brother Cameron (5 weeks), Mom (32), and Dad (42). 

Caroline was diagnosed with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), a condition where a fetus is smaller than expected for the number of weeks gestational age of pregnancy. She was born five weeks early, weighing just 3 pounds 6  ounces. She spent two weeks in the NICU learning to bottle-feed and regulating her blood sugar. She remains in the 5th percentile for growth and faces significant developmental delays and vision issues. Caroline currently functions at a 10 month developmental age.

Mom & Dad have been together for nearly nine years and have been married since 2022. After nearly 20 years as a mechanic, Dad is now working repairing calibration tools. Mom previously spent 11 years working in the automotive industry. Mom lost her job just prior to having Caroline. Mom struggles with postpartum health complications. Her health concerns and caring for her children's significant care needs have prevented her from returning to work.

Mom says, "We’ve always worked hard to build a life together, but the unexpected challenges our family has faced have made this season especially difficult. Our family’s journey hasn’t been the one we imagined, but we continue to take things one day at a time, doing everything we can to give Caroline and Cameron the care, support, and opportunities they deserve."

Additional Needs

We have also had several other families reach out through MIPP with larger items needs like car seats, high chairs, car seats, learning toys, beddings, etc.  We will provide these items to additional families as we are able based on our funding this year.

Can You Help? Please click on the PayPal button below if you wish to donate.