The goal of the Ford 50 campaign is to expand programs that focus on integrity and public service, based on the qualities President Ford lived by, says his son, Michael Ford.
“How his life and his legacy and his values can inspire and be appropriated by others, especially the younger generation of Americans.”
The expansion will more than double current in-person K-12 programs at the museum, the Devos Learning Center, and through scouting.
Plans call for a virtual social studies programming available to teachers statewide, and a high school leadership program in West Michigan, as well as expanding a free leadership program for congressional staffers in Washington D.C.
Leaders announced the launch of a global podcast with influential speakers tackling current problems plus events in cities across the country.
Ford Foundation Executive Director Gleaves Whitney says Americans are hungry for a “civic reset.”
“The Ford brand stands for values that transcend red America and blue America. Integrity, decency, respect, constructive dialogue, principled bipartisanship.”
The campaign has already secured $10 million in charitable donations and is now asking the public to share in raising the final $2 million.
Details are on the Gerald R Ford Foundation website.
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