Sam & Babs Phillips Left A Legacy Of Freedom With Their Charitable Remainder Trust

By Kimberly Martin Begg, Director of Planned Giving

Years ago, Sam A. and Barbara "Babs" C. Phillips established a Charitable Remainder Trust to leave a legacy of freedom through Young America's Foundation. For years, they received income from the interest of their trust in anticipation of making a gift to Young America's Foundation when they're gone.

In 2005, as vibrant and committed to advancing their ideas as ever, Sam and Babs decided to dissolve their trust early so they could see their gift at work immediately. They made a very generous gift to Young America's Foundation from their trust. "It's our way of giving something back," they explain. "Yours is a cause we believe in. We admired Ronald Reagan and we appreciate the good work you do at the colleges and universities."

Citing the dominance of liberal ideas on college campuses, Sam and Babs explain why they think it's critical to share conservative ideas with young people: "It's the period of time when young minds are molded."

Ronald Reagan felt the same way. "There is a flickering spark in all of us," Ronald Reagan said, "which, if struck at just the right age, can light up the rest of our lives." That's why he worked so closely with young people and Young America's Foundation throughout his life.

For Sam and Babs, their commitment to sharing conservative ideas with young people hit home when they witnessed the influence of the far-Left at the University of California-Santa Barbara (UCSB) through the eyes of their granddaughter, Kristen, who attended the college. Kristen faced a barrage of liberal ideas from professors and classmates at UCSB, but she remained steadfast in her conservatism. In fact, she helped strengthen the Conservative Movement by interning at the Foundation's Reagan Ranch office in Santa Barbara! "It's one of the reasons we think so much of the Foundation," they said.

Kristen has since graduated (with honors!) from UCSB and can now empathize with her brother, Kyle, who faces similar challenges at Arizona State University. Kristen and Kyle are committed to advancing freedom, probably in large part because their parents and grandparents exposed them to conservative ideas throughout their lives. Thanks to Sam and Babs Phillips, young people from all households have an opportunity to learn and embrace conservative ideas.

By making their legacy gift now, Sam and Babs experience the joy of seeing their gift at work immediately. For Sam and Babs, advancing this cause is essential to their joy of life. Their support for Reagan's ideas goes back to the 1980 campaign, when they were active in the Arizona Republican Party. Sam was chairman of the "Trunk 'n Tusk" club.

At a campaign event in 1980, Sam and Babs had the distinction and pleasure of introducing the future President and First Lady. The experience added special meaning to their visit to the Reagan Ranch in 2000. "We had goose pimples!" they said after their visit. "You could really feel the Reagans' presence, especially his."

"We could imagine Reagan's day-to-day activities - chopping wood, where he signed the tax reduction bill, the history." Sam and Babs had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet and be inspired by one of America's greatest presidents. Today, they give thousands of young people that same opportunity.

Though many young people who go through Young America's Foundation's programs weren't even born when Ronald Reagan took the oath of office, they "meet" and are inspired by the 40th president when they visit his home, Rancho del Cielo.

Giving to others comes naturally to Sam and Babs. When I talked to them about their legacy gift, Babs was on her way to a "Quilting Bee" meeting to make quilts for charity. Recently, she helped make quilts for every police car, fire truck, and Emergency Medical Service truck in Green Valley, Arizona-her quilts comfort victims of car accidents and patients on their way to the hospital.

Sam and Babs are great Americans. Their grandchildren - Kristen, Kyle, Sam, and Benjamin - are lucky to have them in their lives, as are the thousands of young people they support every day with their legacy gift.