09.27.2017

Former Foster Youth Leaves Legacy Gift

By Trent Freeman, Treehouse Marketing and Communications

When Meg Hagemann passed away at the age of 79 last year, her legacy included a planned gift to Treehouse. She chose the nonprofit based on a recommendation from one of her two adopted sons, Ian, who helped run the computer system at Treehouse in the early 2000s.

“She wanted a charity that was doing great work, and she wanted to do something for foster kids,” Ian said.

Meg spent eight years of her childhood in foster care and much of her adult life as an activist trying to make the world a better place—particularly for children facing challenges. She was a foster parent, and adopted Ian and Clark in the late 1960s.

“She had a way of saying: ‘I’m just going to go out there and make this right,’ ” said Ian, noting she was active in the Free Speech Movement at the University of California Berkeley. “Once she understood there was a problem, she got a fire lit under her and went out and organized.”

Meg founded and led Berry Day Care Center for the children of migrant berry pickers and then Bainbridge Day Care Center which still operates today as a safe place for kids under the name Bainbridge Island Child Care Centers. She won several statewide awards for her work on initiatives to outlaw smoking in foster homes and promote bicycle safety for children.

Always an activist, she even spearheaded an effort to ensure the residents had healthy meals while living in the Madison Avenue House assisted living community.

And now youth in foster care will be assured of her support for years to come.

If you have questions about planned giving or already plan to include Treehouse as part of your legacy, we would love to hear from you. Contact Jazmin Marshall at [email protected] or 206.267.5121.