Our Mission Statement

Enriching North Seattle through services that support, educate and engage the community.

Meadowbrook Community CARE (MC2) engages the larger NE Seattle community to partner and strengthen existing resources for those most in need. We work to build a strong, healthy and successful North Seattle community by focusing on family and educational support, emergency housing, and sustainable community engagement. Learn more about our Projects or get to know our latest activities by reading the latest blog posts by Terry Vogel.

Picture of mc care mural

Our History

women standing in front of a wreath

In Northeast Seattle, the residential neighborhood of Meadowbrook is home to Nathan Hale High School, the Meadowbrook Park and Recreation Complex, and the urban jewel – the dynamic Thornton Creek. This small neighborhood resides on the southernmost edge of the diverse Lake City district. Around 35% of Lake City residents identify as non-White, over 28 different languages are spoken, and more residents are below the poverty level than citywide.

It was in this community in 2005 that ‘MC2’ was first considered. Meadowbrook Community CARE was established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in 2007. Its founding centered on the important core partnership with Maple Leaf Lutheran Church in Meadowbrook and their goals to serve the community. Being stronger together, in partnership with the larger community, was our goal.

Housing, education, families, community resilience, and sustainability guided our founders: Karen Artz, Diana Koala, Dody Foster and Terry Vogel. They were members of Maple Leaf Lutheran Church and in 2006 they committed to a year-long community needs assessment. The results gave focus and direction to the goals of collaboration and achieving results directly benefiting those in need. “Support, educate, and engage” was the call to serve.

In 2017, MC2 celebrated their 10th year of service. What kind of service? 

Karen Artz
  • A twenty year commitment to supporting a coed emergency housing for up to 20 adults nightly, at Maple Leaf Lutheran Church.
  • Continuing a thirty year holiday gift campaign to host and support Lake City human service providers and their families in need during the winter holiday season.
  • Hosting large groups to help care for and support the seven-acre Meadowbrook Community Gardens and Orchards. Our common goals are to grow food to donate to Lake City food bank (North Helpline), care for the land, and host outdoor experiential learning at the Seattle Parks site.
  • Create, fund, and operate the Lake City After School program serving the Olympic Hills Elementary School. The program focuses on volunteer tutors meeting one-on-one with English Language Learning students twice a week, after school. The program is built to serve 10-12 students in grades 3-5.

In 2021, programming has been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. In the gardens, group efforts are smaller. After-school tutoring has been adapted to online. Holiday support has been by providing gift cards instead of physical gifts. Shelter operations have been full time, to accommodate those needing safe housing during this difficult outbreak. This too, is our history, and how we continue to keep ‘Community And Resources Engaged’ – we CARE.

Our Community Partnerships Director: Terry Vogel

Terry Vogel, Vice President

Presently this long time Wedgwood resident is the Community Partnerships Director for Meadowbrook Community CARE; Terry is a B.A. graduate in Education from PLU. Married with two daughters, he enjoys gardening, basketball, baseball and watching Sounders and his younger daughter play soccer.

Our Board of Directors

We are guided and governed by our all-volunteer board. Learn more about our current and past board members.

Our Partners

Learn more about the many local nonprofit and governmental organizations we partner with to better serve those in our community.

Our Supporters

We also receive support from many other local organizations. Many are small, local businesses – please support them! Without our many supporters our work would not be possible.

You can GIVE or VOLUNTEER to become a supporter, too!

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