“Do something kind for someone you know, someone you don’t know, and do it every day,” is Junia Doan’s philosophy. Sharing something as simple as a smile, she believes, can lead to a positive connection.
Junia has made plenty of connections since she moved to Midland in 1975 after marrying Ted Doan, former CEO of the Dow Chemical Company. She has blessed many people in Midland, including those at the Mackinac Center, where she served as a board member.
Junia believes people should be responsible for their community, and she leads by example. That’s a family tradition going back at least to the Oklahoma Land Rush of the late 1800s. When her grandfather, then a young man with a fresh land claim, encountered a struggling young widow with children, he gave her his plot of land before moving on to find another for himself.
When asked what philanthropy means to her, she replies, “Financial philanthropy works best when it is local.” An effort supported by local philanthropy can be used to test possible solutions for a problem, and if it succeeds, it can be mirrored in other communities.
Philanthropy need not be financial. In 2002 Junia launched a television show, now known as “Junia Doan’s The Spark,” which features guests who discuss how to live energetically and “be a light for others.” The power of showcasing people who do positive things for the community cannot be overstated, Junia says.
Extensive world travels in her 20s only confirmed Junia’s belief that Americans are the luckiest people on earth. “We invented people-led government,” she says. “You can worship how you choose, and you can be what you want. America is proof that there is more than one way to live.”
Her biggest criticism of government today is overregulation, which stifles entrepreneurship. Lawmakers pass vague bills, and unelected bureaucrats take over. “Individual initiative is good for the soul, but it is becoming increasingly harder for businesses to be successful,” Junia says. She sees the Mackinac Center as a bulwark against these bureaucrats. “Midland should be proud the Mackinac Center is here. They take the emotion out of policy issues and deal with the facts.”
