Members of the Mother Jones Legacy Society come from many walks of life, but all have one thing in common: they trust in Mother Jones to report the truth that will help build a more equitable and just society. Here are a few of their stories:
Phil Straus
Trusts Mother Jones to tell the truth for generations to come.
“I don’t expect to solve all the country’s problems before I die, but I do expect MJ to be around to make sure the American populace has the information they need to make the changes that matter. If the American people don’t have the truth how can they do anything to make this a better place? Mother Jones is relentless about going after the truth. I know that they will continue their hard and necessary work long after I’m gone.”
Steve and Midge Carstensen
Bequeathing a percentage of their estate to Mother Jones to inspire action.
“Many people talk about helping, but fewer actually spend effort to touch others and make real differences in their lives. It’s just not enough to know about problems, it is far more important to do something. I think money left to Mother Jones is a result of a good choice. I know that it will lead to good outcomes. I am completely confident that this means others will succeed because of what I did. This feels good.”
Judy Wade and Bill Baker
Included Mother Jones in their trust to ensure that justice reporting continues to thrive.
“As former journalists, we trust Mother Jones for ferreting out stories that we did not have the resources to pursue. Mother Jones does an exceptional job of focusing on what we need to know and what we can do to remedy unjust situations. For that reason, Mother Jones is part of our trust, and we hope that it will continue its unflagging pursuit of what is right and fair.”
Gene Birmingham
Named Mother Jones a beneficiary to help further his values.
“I am a retired pastor, and like many Mother Jones readers, I am not a wealthy man. As I was putting together my financial plans, I thought about how my parents’ values had helped shape mine. When I was young and developing my own ideas about the world and then when I took a strong public stand against the Vietnam War as a young pastor, my parents and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye. However, I will never forget, years after leaving their house, when I gave a speech at a Chicago labor dinner. My mother read the speech and told me, ‘Your father would be proud of you.’ This was on my mind when I made my financial plans. I also realized that I had an opportunity to continue – and really deepen – my support to Mother Jones by naming this good and important organization as a beneficiary to a life insurance policy I’ve had for many years. I know the good folks at Mother Jones will use my planned gift well after I’m gone, and it’ll be a lasting legacy of the values I learned over the years.”
Geneva Folsom
Included a gift to Mother Jones in her will.
Geneva was a member of the Raging Grannies and always believed that being a political dissident was the mark of a good citizen, and she has spent most of her career helping people learn to fight for justice. “I feel there are few places to find unbiased news, and because I desire an alternative to the mainstream TV perspective, I have included a gift to Mother Jones in my estate plans.”
