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★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ Message from Ron Robinson Dear Conservative, What is your legacy? If you came of age before 1980, you experienced the Reagan Revolution firsthand. You felt the joy and pride of America’s revival.
Ron Robinson
So when Ronald Reagan said in his farewell speech from the Oval Office in 1989: “We made a difference. We made the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good hands,” you rejoiced with fellow Americans in your hope for the future. But since then, liberals who control education, the media, and government, have been obsessed with distorting Ronald Reagan’s ideas and accomplishments. Nearly 30 years of leftist indoctrination and government overreach have chipped away at many of the successes of the Reagan Revolution. But one stalwart of the Reagan era remains: You. You have remained true to your conservative principles. You have a passion for youth outreach, as did William F. Buckley, who founded YAF in 1960, and Ronald Reagan, who worked closely with YAF beginning in 1962, when he joined our advisory board. Buckley and Reagan are remembered and honored every day through the young people who go through Young America’s Foundation’s programs. This is their legacy at YAF; it can be your legacy, too.
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You can create a Personal Legacy of Educating Young People and Advancing Freedom.
“We made a difference. We made the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good hands.”
January 11, 1989
You may not see yourself as the type of individual who could leave a legacy. That’s what my wife, Michelle, and I thought until we encountered heroic individuals who passed on their ideas through estate gifts to Young America’s Foundation. These individuals would have humbly described themselves as “ordinary.” But leaving a legacy empowers ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. Our advisors at Young America’s Foundation can help you create your legacy and protect freedom’s future. Please review the information in this booklet and return your Making A Difference reply by mail. You should also feel free to call my colleague, Kimberly Begg, Esq., vice president & general counsel, or me at 800-USA-1776 anytime. We would be honored to help you. Sincerely,
Ron Robinson President
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★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ You Deserve Peace of Mind: YAF Will Honor and Protect Your Legacy Creating a legacy through Young America’s Foundation will give you peace of mind that your legacy will be honored and protected. Sadly, many conservatives are nervous that their estate gifts will not be used as they intend. They are right to be worried. The history of modern philanthropy has seen the most cherished principles of great Americans—people including Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, and John Rockefeller—ignored and violated by the people entrusted with their legacies. The Conservative Movement is witnessing an alarming trend of community foundations, family foundations, and attorneys and other estate planning professionals hijacking the legacies of conservatives—including sophisticated business people who thought they were protected. Today, the legacies of too many conservatives are at risk. But your legacy is safe with Young America’s Foundation for two key reasons.
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Why Young America’s Foundation? Young America’s Foundation is the leading youth outreach organization dedicated to ensuring that increasing numbers of young Americans understand and are inspired by the ideas of individual freedom, a strong national defense, free enterprise, and traditional values. Our schools used to teach patriotism and American exceptionalism. Today, instead of passing on America’s heritage of freedom, educators and administrators use their authority over students to advance the Left’s agenda. As a result, many young people spend the most impressionable years of their lives absorbing leftist advocacy for more expansive government, central planning, wealth redistribution, and political correctness. Thankfully, new audiences of young people across the country are introduced to conservative ideas through Young America’s Foundation’s programs, including national conferences and seminars for high school and college students, the largest conservative campus lecture program in the country, Young Americans for Freedom chapters, National Journalism Center internships, Center for Entrepreneurship & Free Enterprise activities, and the Reagan Ranch program. The Reagan Ranch program leverages the effectiveness of our other youth outreach activities by inspiring young people and policymakers with Ronald Reagan’s life and ideas. Young America’s Foundation is the exclusive owner and operator of the Reagan Ranch. We preserve the Reagan Ranch as a historic Presidential property, similar to George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. We utilize the Reagan Ranch Center as our “Schoolhouse for Reaganism” in downtown Santa Barbara, California.
5 Young America’s Foundation is reliably conservative and trustworthy. We have been reaching young people with conservative ideas for nearly 60 years. We are forever tied to the life and ideas of the great leaders of the Conservative Movement. America’s most principled leaders—William F. Buckley, Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater, Dr. Milton Friedman, Dr. Russell Kirk, Edwin Meese, Jeane Kirkpatrick, William P. Clark, Becky Norton Dunlop, Robert Novak, Stan Evan, Phyllis Schlafly, Frank Donatelli, Michelle Easton, John Barletta, Michael Reagan, Jack Kemp, Scott Walker, Steve Forbes, Allen West, Dinesh D’Souza, Peter Schweizer, Mike Lee, Ted Cruz, Jeff Sessions, Mike Pence, Kellyanne Conway, Dr. Burt Folsom, Dr. Paul Kengor, Dr. Walter Williams, Dr. Robert George and many others—have worked closely with Young America’s Foundation to introduce conservative ideas to millions of young people. Young America’s Foundation receives no government funding—and we never will! Every cent we receive to help young people is given voluntarily by Americans who share our love of freedom and respect for Ronald Reagan. This sets us apart from organizations that operate other Presidential homes and libraries. Because Young America’s Foundation is 100% privately supported, we are protected from government interference. Our programs will continue to be reliably conservative, teaching ideas of limited government and the lessons of Ronald Reagan’s Presidency, free from the distortions of political correctness and historical revisionism. In your personal life, you may have observed—in despair—the legacies of friends and family being violated by those entrusted with carrying out their wishes. You deserve better. You deserve the peace of mind of knowing your legacy will be honored and protected.
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ Legacies of Heroic Americans John Engalitcheff was an immigrant who fled Russia amidst the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. Mr. Engalitcheff saw what tyranny, state-enforced atheism, and the lack of freedom did to his homeland. That’s why he was a great admirer of Ronald Reagan and why he supported Young America’s Foundation. Mr. Engalitcheff’s decision to create a legacy made a tremendous impact on America because it helped create the largest conservative campus lecture program in the country: Young America’s Foundation’s campus lecture program! This inspirational program has reached millions of college and high school students with ideas of freedom and limited government—ideas they would unlikely hear on today’s leftist dominated campuses. And then a few years later, when the Clinton Administration and the California General Assembly refused to preserve the Reagan Ranch, it was because of Mr. Engalitcheff’s bequest that Young America’s Foundation could step forward and save the Ranch as a place to honor Ronald Reagan’s legacy and pass on his ideas! Today, the Ranch is one of the premier, privately protected Presidential properties in the country, along with George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. It is also the only modern Conservative Movement site that has been saved. The Reagan Ranch has been transformational for Young America’s Foundation’s ongoing efforts to advance the ideas of freedom. 6
Blanche Pope was a modest supporter during her life who left Young America’s Foundation $1 million in her will! The year we received her generous gift was also a year in which we received more requests for financial assistance from students than any other time in Young America’s Foundation’s history. It was a year in which skyrocketing college tuitions were taking their toll on students and parents, and the market depleted savings. Mrs. Pope did not know how timely her gift would be. It was an extraordinary gift, arriving at just the right time in our students’ moment of need. Dr. Robert Ruhe was an orthodontist from Chesterton, Indiana, who grew up during a time when the American Dream was in doubt. He valued the time-honored traits of frugality and a strong work ethic, doing his part to help his family in those difficult years of the Great Depression. After graduating high school, he served in the United States Air Force for five years. Dr. Ruhe’s wealth, however, was unknown to most, and his philanthropy was quiet. His wife, Lee Shannon Ruhe, once said, “He wouldn’t want his name on anything, but he would take satisfaction in knowing that he helped make it happen.” He sure did make it happen! Dr. Ruhe’s legacy gift enabled Young America’s Foundation to double our youth outreach programs! In fact, this gift has already resulted in our ability to reach twice as many high school and college students in just two short years since receiving Dr. Ruhe’s estate gift.
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★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ Be a Hero— Join the Ranch in the sky Legacy Society Once you share your plans to create a personal legacy of educating young people and advancing freedom, you will be welcomed into the Ranch In The Sky Legacy Society. The Legacy Society is named after Rancho del Cielo, Ronald Reagan’s “Ranch In The Sky.”
Members Supporters who share plans to include Young America’s Foundation in their estate plans are honored in special ways.
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Members Receive: • A personalized plaque for your home or office • Recognition on the special Legacy Society panel of Freedom Wall at the Reagan Ranch • Invitations to special events
Executive Members Executive Members are Legacy Society members who strengthen their commitment to passing on conservative ideas by providing documentation of their estate gifts to Young America’s Foundation.
Members Receive: • Special recognition: A beautiful stone along the Freedom Lake pathway at the Reagan Ranch will be engraved with your name or the name of a loved one • An invitation to a special visit to the Reagan Ranch to see your engraved stone with friends or family • All benefits offered at the Member level
Torch of Freedom Society Executive Members who expect their gift to be $1 million or more belong to the Torch of Freedom Society.
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Members Receive: • Exclusive recognition: An eight-foot oak tree will be planted in Freedom Sanctuary at the Reagan Ranch in your honor • An invitation to a special planting ceremony at the Reagan Ranch in your honor • Commemorative framed portrait of the tree that will permanently bear your name or the name of a loved one • All benefits offered at the Member and Executive Member levels Freedom Sanctuary, Freedom Lake at the Reagan Ranch
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★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ Ways to Create Your Legacy gift in your will. You can designate Young America’s Foundation as the beneficiary of a specific amount, percentage, or the residue of your estate by making a gift in your will. Your estate is entitled to an unlimited estate tax charitable deduction. Life Insurance. You can designate Young America’s Foundation as the beneficiary of your life insurance policy. Your premium payments are tax-deductible when you make Young America’s Foundation the owner and beneficiary of your policy. Retirement Accounts. You can reduce the size of your taxable estate and avoid high taxation of family by designating Young America’s Foundation as the beneficiary of your IRA, 401(k), and other retirement accounts. Life Estate. You can deed your home, vacation home, or farm to Young America’s Foundation while retaining the right to live in or use the property for life. You receive an immediate income tax deduction. Life Income Gifts. You can make a gift that pays back lifetime income to you— through a charitable gift annuity or charitable remainder trust—with the remainder benefiting Young America’s Foundation. You receive an immediate income tax deduction.
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Freedom wall at the Reagan Ranch
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Q&A Create Your Legacy with a Gift in Your Will
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ Q: how do I begin? A: Take these simple steps:
1 S hare the good news that you intend to leave a legacy with Young
America’s Foundation’s team. Please return your Making a Difference response card or call Kimberly Begg at 800-USA-1776.
The most common way to create a legacy is by making a gift in your will. Here are answers to common questions to help you. Q: Why do I need a will? A: You need a will so you—not the government—control important decisions relating to your estate. You need a will so: • You choose an executor you trust to carry out your wishes.
2 Call your estate planning attorney to make an appointment. If you do
not have an attorney, please contact Kimberly to request the name of a conservative attorney in your area.
3 G ive your attorney this bequest language: I give, devise, and
bequeath to Young America’s Foundation, tax identification number 23-7042029, 11480 Commerce Park Drive, Sixth Floor, Reston, Virginia 20191 [insert amount, percentage, or remainder of estate] to be used for educational purposes (or to support the Reagan Ranch Fund).
• You make tax-wise decisions about how to distribute your assets. • You define your legacy.
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Q: How do I make a gift to Young America’s Foundation in my will? A: Making a gift in your will—called a bequest—is simple. You will need to make an appointment with an estate planning attorney. If you do not have one, please contact us. When you meet, your attorney may create a will for the first time or update your existing will with a simple document called a codicil. Your attorney will include a bequest to Young America’s Foundation that will allow you to give away money, property, securities, or real estate without worrying about whether you will need those assets, because the giving of them will not take place until after your lifetime.
Q: What are the benefits of making a bequest? A: Bequests are: • SIMPLE. A few sentences in your will (or living trust) complete the gift. • REVOCABLE. You can change your mind. •T AX-WISE. Your estate is entitled to an unlimited estate tax charitable deduction for gifts to qualified organizations including Young America’s Foundation.
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★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States of America
“The Young America’s Foundation motto, ‘The Conservative Movement Starts Here,’ rings true for many of you who are attending your first conservative event. Listen carefully to the speakers and be sure to ask many questions so you can fully utilize your time here. Alumni of these conferences are now leaders in many fields, and I have no doubt that you will follow in their footsteps. Ronald Reagan elegantly explained the virtues of freedom, and I am confident that you will continue to preserve it through your whole life.”
Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President of the United States
“Thank you, Young America’s Foundation, for your support of free enterprise, liberty, and the Reagan legacy.”
Edwin Meese III, 75th U.S. Attorney General
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“I don’t think it is possible to overstate the importance of what Young America’s Foundation has done, and the importance of the Reagan Ranch, because that Ranch is unique both in terms of historical importance and in terms of symbolism . . . It is Rancho del Cielo, the Reagan Ranch, which will continue, thanks to Young America’s Foundation, to be an enduring tribute to the outstanding leader that we all know and to a truly great American.”
Governor Scott Walker, Wisconsin
“If there’s one place where you can be guaranteed people are going to learn about Ronald Reagan from the ground up, it’s gonna be through Young America’s Foundation.” Senator Mike Lee, Utah
“Without Young America’s Foundation . . . we would have no answer to the Left. But with the Young America’s Foundation and what they’re doing, not only do we have an answer to the Left, but it answers the Left with truth rather than fiction.”
Dr. Walter Williams, economist and professor, George Mason University
“If America is to survive as a free and prosperous country, somebody has to tell our young people that the emperor stands before us naked. Young America’s Foundation is doing a yeoman’s job in bringing speakers to college campuses to deliver that message.”
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“There is a flickering spark in all of us which, if struck at just the right age . . . can light up the rest of our lives.� - President Ronald Reagan
reagan ranch 217 State Street, Santa Barbara, California 93101 national headquarters 11480 Commerce Park Drive, Sixth Floor, Reston, Virginia 20191 www.yaf.org 800-USA-1776