I am a child of the liberty movement, blessed with the good fortune to have been born into a close-knit extended family of devout, hard-working and patriotic people, many of whom served as leaders in their communities and heroes our armed forces. My parents and grandparents left my sister, my cousins and me an example of self-reliance, generosity, and financial prudence.

Today, my work at the Mackinac Center acquaints me with many people who remind me of my family. The Center’s friends work conscientiously, prioritize family dinners, vote and pay taxes and keep a budget and plan ahead. They are abreast of current events and are not happy with certain political and cultural trends, but have faith that by imparting good values to their children, the freedoms they have enjoyed will still be available to future generations.

A good number of these friends have taken additional steps to assure themselves of more than just a hope for the future. They have formulated a plan that gives them certainty that there will always be a champion for liberty, even when they have passed on. They do not need to worry whether their children will have time to try to impact the political process. They do not need to worry whether their grandchildren will have resources to counter the liberal bias at their universities. They do not need to worry whether their voice has been loud enough during their lifetime. They have made a bequest for liberty in their will, and have amplified the impact of that bequest by entrusting it to the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

 It is inspiring to meet and talk with these friends, whom we call our Legacy Society. These freedom fighters are dedicated to helping us achieve a freer and more prosperous Michigan for everyone, and are so proud of the many accomplishments that this partnership has made possible, and will make possible. They have taken some of what they have been able to achieve in their lifetime and set it on a path to perpetuate their values into the future with the full force of one of the most powerful state-based think tanks in the country behind it. My gratitude for and admiration of this commitment are surpassed only by the visible sense of fulfillment of the Legacy Society members themselves. They are a truly commendable group.

I never realized how good I had it growing up; I supposed that everyone thought and lived the way we did. Now, as an adult actively engaged in the battle of ideas, I am determined to preserve the best of the past as we find our way into the uncertain future. Government deadlocks and political scandals will come and go, but the commitments of our Legacy Society members ensure that the Mackinac Center will always be ready to defend freedom in my generation and for many to come.

To discuss a bequest to the Mackinac Center, please contact us at (989) 631-0900.

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