Iris Freeman’s career in aging services was rooted in her childhood experiences.
“I grew up in my grandparents’ house the first five years of my life. I was accustomed to older people being my allies. That set the course for my career.” Through her various professional roles and volunteer positions on boards and committees, Iris focused on creating policies that ensured older adults are well cared for.
Iris has been associated with Trellis from the very beginning. Having dedicated her career to long-term care, she first knew about Trellis (then the Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging) in 1973 when it was formed to set priorities and distribute Older Americans Act dollars. Soon thereafter, Iris got to know the organization in a different way. In 1977 she was hired to direct a program that received a $20,000 grant from the MAAA for a demonstration to create consumer protection services for nursing home residents and their families in the 7-county metro area.
In 2014, Iris joined the MAAA board of directors, a position she held until 2022. During that time the organization transitioned from a quasi-governmental agency to a traditional nonprofit organization with a new name—Trellis. Iris helped set the course for a new era of the organization that continues to this day. Recalling that time of transition, Iris notes, “The role of public funding in services was fragile, and the notion that we would be able to meet the needs in the Twin Cities with federal money alone seemed precarious. To the extent that we could begin to build a future with much more diverse sources of support, it seemed imperative.”
“We support Trellis’ endeavors to ensure that older adults and their caregivers in low-income and underserved communities maintain their desired level of independence with needed supports.”
Though her time on the board has ended, Iris continues to support Trellis as a donor. Like many Trellis donors, Iris has a personal as well as professional connection to the organization. She shares that a friend of hers seeking to move back to Minnesota was looking for healthcare and housing support. Iris suggested she call the Senior LinkAge Line, knowing the important role it plays in helping older adults throughout the state. Her friend has been in contact with the Senior LinkAge Line multiple times and is now on a waiting list for a residential setting that will meet her needs. “She can’t stop telling me how nice the staff were on the Senior LinkAge Line. I know I gave her the right advice.”
Iris plans to continue supporting Trellis and other organizations dedicated to caring for older adults. When asked why she continues to support Trellis philanthropically, Iris says, “Trellis’ abiding principle, creating safe and welcoming communities for all older adults, parallels the values my husband Warren and I have as we cross the 80-year mark. To an increasing extent, our independence comes with reliance on the help of others. We support Trellis’ endeavors to ensure that older adults and their caregivers in low-income and underserved communities maintain their desired level of independence with needed supports.”
Reflecting on the future of Trellis, she notes, “There is a resilience in the culture that will adapt.” Trellis will indeed continue to adapt to meet the changing needs of our aging population thanks to donors like Iris.
You can become a Trellis donor by visiting www.trellisconnects.org/donate today.
