Dick and Ethie Haworth received the Mackinac Center’s “Champions of Freedom” award at “An Evening with the Mackinac Center,” in Grand Rapids on May 9.
Dick, a member of the Center’s board of directors, said he and Ethie were “deeply honored” by the award, which reads in part, “Dick and Ethie Haworth have placed a permanent imprint on the course of public policy in Michigan.”
Evidence of Dick and Ethie’s legacy can be seen across the state. They have created lasting opportunities for Michigan’s people by building a multigenerational family business and investing generously in their community. They have earned the love and respect of countless friends, volunteers and benefactors of institutions such as the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
“Dick and Ethie deeply understand how blessed they are to live in the greatest country on earth, to be free to create opportunities for themselves and opportunities that help other people flourish,” said Joseph G. Lehman, Mackinac Center president. “They value this so highly that they are not content to merely enjoy this for themselves. They want to uphold and advance the founding principles of this country so that millions of other people have the chance to flourish as they have.”
In 2008, Dick became the first major CEO to publicly call for Michigan to pass a right-to-work law. It was a daring act of courage in the face of powerful entrenched opposition, and Michigan made history in 2012 by adopting that law. Legislators repealed the law a decade later, but the public still supports it. When right-to-work is restored, hundreds of thousands of Michigan workers will be free to work on their own terms because of the unwavering leadership and personal financial leadership of those who never gave up the fight.
