Ken and Shirley Polakowski
Ken and Shirley Polakowski have lived in many places – from Ann Arbor to Australia – but it’s Charlevoix that they call home. Ken, a retired landscape architecture professor, is engaged in the effort to preserve and improve the beautiful tree-filled avenues throughout Charlevoix. Shirley, a former systems analyst, is active with the Charlevoix Area Garden Club. They are using their knowledge, skills, and experience to enhance this area they love.
These two have been married for more than 60 years and raised five children together. “They’re doing well – really well,” Ken notes proudly. “Because they are doing so well on their own, we are free to support the causes that are most important to us,” explains Shirley. “We do pro bono work and volunteer,” says Ken. “Shirley and I both learned from our parents to care, and to be generous in the ways you can.” In addition to being active in the community, the Polakowskis have included the Community Foundation in their estate plan as a beneficiary of a retirement account. When the Community Foundation receives the gift from their estate, those dollars will be put to work as Ken and Shirley have specified. As part of their legacy in Charlevoix, causes they care about will continue to be supported in their names, forever.