Jamie’s Smiles’ mission is to supply supplemental funding to outstanding programs that benefit special needs children, through grants and other financial means. We told him that, should we lose him, we wanted to create a lasting legacy for him beyond the one within our family. We wanted to take his loss and turn it into something helpful to other special needs children like him – his friends. As a
result, when Jamie died, we asked that people consider contributing to special needs children in lieu of donating flowers. Due to the overwhelming generosity of people like you, over $11,000 was donated. We worked with the Shelby Community Foundation and established a Memorial Fund to disburse a $1,000 grant on a yearly basis with an initial $2,000 grant given to the Macomb Intermediate School District – Macomb Infant Preschool Program (MIPPS) in early October 2006. We originally chose MIPPS as this is where Jamie received therapy services throughout his entire life. Upon talking to someone about Jamie’s story and the creation of the fund, she asked if we were going to call the fund Jamie’s Smiles. Gretchen, said, “No, my son had only just learned to smile at four months old when his seizures began and then during treatment he had only six weeks during which he was seizure free enough to smile at will. As a result, the name Jamie’s Smiles would not make sense.” The woman responded, “But don’t you think that he smiles now that he is free to do so every time someone helps a special needs child in his name?” We like to think that Jamie is smiling down for that very reason. We have called the fund Jamie’s Smiles to commemorate his beautiful, if too infrequent, smile and because we believe that he can now smile at will and smiles every time a special needs child is help because of his story. In 2007, we created Jamie’s Smiles Endowment Fund. On January 1, 2021, the Shelby Community Foundation merged with Four County Community Foundation and the Jamie’s Smiles Fund became part of Four County Community Foundation's family of charitable funds. Jamie’s Smiles Memorial Fund and Jamie’s Smiles Endowment Fund are now held and administered by the Four County Community Foundation which is a certified community foundation. Contributions to this 501c(3) are tax deductible. Contributions to an endowment fund may also result in a state tax credit which increases the deductibility of these donations (please consult a tax professional for details regarding your contribution’s deductibility). Jamie was a “handicapped” or “special needs” child. He gave love freely and taught us unbelievable lessons in the unfathomably difficult and fleeting 19 months that he shared our lives. We will never be the same; not only from grief, but from who he showed us we could be and how we could live. We strive to honor his legacy whenever and where ever possible. As of April 30, 2022, we have over $152,200 in total cash and investments between our Memorial and Endowed funds and we have given away over $175,400 in grants and donations to assist programs for children with special needs. We help approximately 1,100 children with special needs and their families every year and have helped more than 18,200 people since our inception. It is our goal as a nonprofit children's charity to raise enough endowed funds to make four yearly grants available to programs for children with special needs on a permanent and perpetual basis. Please help us continue to support special needs children’s programs!
