Liberty Day – Promoting Civics Education

Jimmy Sengenberger

Jimmy Sengenberger, a 19-year-old junior at Regis University, approached Liberty Day President Andy McKean about an idea in the beginning of June 2007. The idea was to gather high school students from across the state of Colorado together and give them the chance to learn more about the Constitution from the people who work with it every day. The idea grew into what became the 2007 and 2008 Constitution Day conferences in Colorado, constituting Liberty Day's first young adult-oriented program.

Due to the 2007 success, Jimmy was hired as National Director of Celebration America, a new and exciting effort to educate high school and college students about the contents of the Constitution and to engage them in civics in an unprecedented way. Since October 2009, Jimmy has served as Liberty Day’s Executive Director, focusing largely on the organization’s marketing efforts.

Jimmy's passion for the Constitution, interest in heading up Liberty Day's high school efforts, and desire to become intregally involved in Liberty Day grew from his love of and passion for government, politics, and policy.

“Without the Constitution, there would be no government, no politics, no political parties. America as we know it would not exist,” he said. “That’s why Liberty Day is so crucial right now. We’re dedicated to doing our part to help keep the republic today for tomorrow’s generation—what the Framers called ‘our posterity.’”

In addition to his work with Liberty Day, Jimmy has served as Editor-in-Chief of Regis’s student newspaper, The Highlander; is a recipient of Regis University's coveted Board of Trustees scholarship; and was a 2008 finalist at State and National Qualifiers for the National Forensics League in Colorado, competing in Original Oratory (speech).



	Founded in 1996 by Andy McKean and his late wife, Kathy, Liberty Day is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), nonpartisan organization dedicated to educating all Americans, but especially the next generation, about the contents of the Constitution of the United States. We are about working with educators and community organizations to ensure that every child in America knows and understands the essentials of our founding documents. Unlike many self-described nonpartisan organizations, Liberty Day truly strives to be just that. We reach out to Democrats and Republicans alike and have received endorsements from numerous members of both parties, along with independents. Liberty Day is firmly dedicated to the principle of educating youth with no opinions and no interpretations—just the facts. What do we do? Liberty Day provides teachers with a Complete Educational Resource on the U.S. Constitution. This resource consists of a Teacher’s Packet containing a full lesson plan, two evaluation forms, and a multiple choice pre-test and post-test with which to assess the knowledge gained by the students. These materials accompany the Liberty Day Booklet containing the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and 24 perforated Q&A flashcards on the contents of the Constitution. The Complete Educational Resource, which was developed by Liberty Day in cooperation teachers, curriculum leaders, and other partners within the field of education, is expressly designed to provide educators with the tools they need to effectively teach the document to their students. We work alongside members of the community at all levels—from parents and attorneys to elected officials and college studnets—to provide kids, but particularly fifth graders, with engaging and interactive lessons with outside presenters.		President's Welcome Who We Are Our Days Complete Education Package State Coordinators Endorsements and Partners Multimedia back to "About Us"


	Andy McKean Andy McKean has served as Liberty Day’s president since he and his late wife Kathy founded the organization in 1996. As president, he is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day affairs of Liberty Day, as well as the implementation of a majority of Liberty Day’s programs. Andy McKean co-founded Liberty Day with his late wife Kathy in 1996. A former elementary school teacher and Peace Corps volunteer, Andy's passion for educating the public about the Constitution began in the 1990s, when he and his wife worked with the Denver Lions Club to provide hundreds of inner-city kids with a groundbreaking literacy program. The week before July 4, Andy asked the kids the purpose of the holiday; the children would not be meeting the following week because of Independence Day. He recalled asking the kids about the experience. “‘One kid said, ‘We do fireworks.’ Another said, ‘We have a barbecue.’ Out of 218 kids, no one knew the reason. Not one.” Inspired by the experience, he and Kathy launched Liberty Day, a Denver-based nonprofit, nonpartisan effort to promote civics education. Since his wife’s passing in 2005, Andy has dedicated his life to fulfilling the mission they set out to achieve more than a decade ago. “Ben Franklin challenged us that we will have a republic only if we can keep it,” he said. “We aren’t going to do that if citizens are’t proactive in educating others, particularly fifth graders learning about government for the first time. What better way to bring the Constitution home to these kids than the kinds of programs Liberty Day provides?”			Jimmy Sengenberger Jimmy Sengenberger, a 19-year-old junior at Regis University, approached Liberty Day President Andy McKean about an idea in the beginning of June 2007. The idea was to gather high school students from across the state of Colorado together and give them the chance to learn more about the Constitution from the people who work with it every day. The idea grew into what became the 2007 and 2008 Constitution Day conferences in Colorado, constituting Liberty Day's first young adult-oriented program. Due to the 2007 success, Jimmy was hired as National Director of Celebration America, a new and exciting effort to educate high school and college students about the contents of the Constitution and to engage them in civics in an unprecedented way. Since October 2009, Jimmy has served as Liberty Day’s Executive Director, focusing largely on the organization’s marketing efforts. Jimmy's passion for the Constitution, interest in heading up Liberty Day's high school efforts, and desire to become intregally involved in Liberty Day grew from his love of and passion for government, politics, and policy. “Without the Constitution, there would be no government, no politics, no political parties. America as we know it would not exist,” he said. “That’s why Liberty Day is so crucial right now. We’re dedicated to doing our part to help keep the republic today for tomorrow’s generation—what the Framers called ‘our posterity.’” In addition to his work with Liberty Day, Jimmy has served as Editor-in-Chief of Regis’s student newspaper, The Highlander; is a recipient of Regis University's coveted Board of Trustees scholarship; and was a 2008 finalist at State and National Qualifiers for the National Forensics League in Colorado, competing in Original Oratory (speech).

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