Meg’s Legacy granted multiple non-profit organizations in 2025 that offer programs aligned with our mission. In each newsletter, we highlight one of the grant recipients so our generous donors can learn how funds are shared to help make a difference in the world around us.
WILLOW HOUSE
Meg’s Legacy granted $15,000 to Willow House in April. The mission at Willow House, based in Bannockburn, is to provide grief support and education for youth, families, schools and other communities grieving the death of a parent, sibling, or child. Their free services ‘provide a place where hope lives and healing begins’, allowing people to grieve in companionship with others who share a similar loss. Their vision is that no child, teen or parent grieves alone. They provide Peer Support Groups, Survivors of Suicide Groups, Expressive Arts, and more.
This touching client story reveals one person’s experience through Willow House:
“When my 18-year-old daughter Maisy died by suicide in November of 2021, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I felt completely lost and like my life was over, too. People around me tried to help by suggesting I journal, read, or exercise. But none of it felt like enough. A friend encouraged me to find a support group at Willow House which helped me find tools to process my grief. I discovered that it is possible to feel better. My grief is still here, but I feel stronger now. These meetings have made a lasting difference in my mental health and overall quality of life.
I am so grateful to the donors who make Willow House possible. After my daughter died, I had no hope.
But, after attending the support groups and participating in a Writing Through Grief program they offered, something in me began to shift. I decided to go back to school to earn my Master of Social Work. I wanted to pay it forward and support others who are living with deep loss.
Thank you for helping me get my life back. Willow House gave me hope when I had none.”
Meg’s Legacy was recently selected for the Willow House 2025 Bereavement Community Impact Award, presented by Executive Director, Anya Tanyavutti.
“The Butz family has taken the tragic and sudden loss of Megan and transformed it into a legacy of care, hope, and possibility, a feat of bravery and wisdom not possible by many. As a foundation they raise invaluable awareness of suicide prevention and survivors’ support. They provide incredibly relevant and rooted suicide grief education, and funding to meet the practical needs to bring these systems of bereavement care and suicide prevention to life. While Meg’s Legacy is new, they’ve already made such a tremendous impact.”
