Memory loss patients raise money for charity by selling birdhouses

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Jeremy Schmidt used to be a carpenter – but when he woke up from a two-week coma, he had to relearn everything. 

A Xanax pill purchased from a street dealer nearly cost him his life. It was laced with fentanyl, said his father, Jim Schmidt.

"I almost had to take him off the breathing machine," Jim said. When Jeremy woke up, "he started off like a newborn."

And he's since come a long way.

Now, Jim drives Jeremy from Monroe to Auburn Hills to work at the Quality of Life Center, which is an adult day healthcare center. There, Jeremy gets the care he needs while participating in arts and craft projects that end up benefiting others.

"He's been here ever since and it's like home to these people," Jim said.

Those who attend the facility are all living with memory loss, have some form of dementia, or have other special needs. 

"I tell them we all need a purpose," said Jackie Smiertka, the owner of Quality of Life Center. "No matter what age or stage of life we're in, we all need a purpose."

The center offers everything from medical care to a host of projects. Patients are currently painting birdhouses that Smiertka's husband built out of donated wood scraps. 

Smiertka then decorates the bird houses. 

Last year, they sold them at Costco and raised $4,000 for the Children's Miracle Network. This year, they are hoping to raise even more.

"It's just a normal fun place to be and the accomplishments they make sometimes, what somebody would call small, we call great!" Smiertka said.

The 200 birdhouses will be available on Mother's Day weekend in May, at the Auburn Hills Costco on Brown Road.