Print
A Message From Foundation President Ron Robinson
Dear Foundation Friend:
Ten years ago Young America’s Foundation stepped forward to save President Reagan’s Western White House, Rancho del Cielo.
The Young America’s Foundation leadership initially discussed the concept in late November 1997. The following week, within a seven day period, we visited the Reagan Ranch in California; came back to northern Virginia to have some key meetings including one with an eventual major supporter, Stephen P.J. Wood; and wrapped up the week in New York City hearing from William F. Buckley Jr. in the offices of National Review and then holding a dinner for Rush Limbaugh! Those were a fateful seven days for Young America’s Foundation and, I would suggest, for the Conservative Movement.
Steve Wood decided to sponsor a major campus lecture series which included, among others, Margaret Thatcher and Charlton Heston. Mr. Wood also made Young America’s Foundation and the Leadership Institute major beneficiaries in his will. The Wood lectures came within a tradition that Bill Buckley had previously established working with the YAF leadership. The lectures combined long hours of student volunteer labor with a high visibility speaker to create events that changed the ideological environment for students at scores of campuses. Young America’s Foundation lectures were the first introduction to conservative ideas for thousands of students attracted to these important events.
The young men and women who attended those breakthrough programs have become many of the leading writers, commentators, and organizational and elected leaders of our day.
Rush Limbaugh’s influence grew exponentially in the following ten years. Rush’s success was meteoric, so much so that students only had access to his insights on his ever-more-popular radio program and in his best-selling books. His schedule did not permit campus appearances.
Young America’s Foundation’s board of directors’ and key supporters’ decision to save the Reagan Ranch helped launch a decade of rising popularity for our nation’s 40th president. Private organizations saved both George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. It was appropriate that Ronald Reagan’s presidential home was also saved. In the following years, a steady parade of media outlets—including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek, Time, C-SPAN, and the major networks—reported on the Ranch’s allure and our effective pro-Reagan activities.
Many people inquire how we judge our effectiveness. We look first and foremost to the number of young men and women who attend our events. No organization will have maximum impact without meaningful numbers in its audience. Those numbers are increased by the association with great leaders including Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, William F. Buckley, Charlton Heston, and supporters’ sacrificial gifts such as those made by Steve Wood. Our effectiveness is also enhanced by the experience visitors have when they visit the Reagan Ranch.
Ronald Reagan developed some of his most important ideas while at Rancho del Cielo. It is now an influential site to pass those principles on to new audiences.
We also gauge our effectiveness by looking back at our decisions. We assess how we allocate our time and limited resources. Ten years ago, in that first week of December 1997, we made good use of the opportunities God gave us.
Ron Robinson, President
Young America's Foundation
Contact Us | Privacy Policy | Legal Notices | Financial Statements | Top
© 1995-2008 Young America's Foundation
F.M. Kirby Freedom Center
110 Elden Street
Herndon, VA 20170
ph 800.USA.1776 | fax 703.318.9122
www.yaf.org | www.reaganranch.org | www.nationaljournalismcenter.org