About the Live Free Foundation
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that exists to strengthen Faith, Family, and Freedom, empowering individuals through Free Will and Free Enterprise, one community at a time.
The four areas we work in
Our Four Pillars
Every program and campaign of the Live Free Foundation advances one of four pillars, the areas where we put our time, tools, and resources to work for families and communities. Across all four pillars, we extend a hand to the marginalized, sick and poor and to orphans and widows in need.
01Historical Education & Leadership Development
American principles of liberty, free enterprise, and personal responsibility taught to youth and adults through primary-source civics, Founders Forums, exhibits, and leadership training.
02Family & Community Strengthening
Programs supporting strong families, community charity, mentorship, Men’s Fellowship, and local civic engagement, including care for orphans and widows through support, resources, and partnerships such as scholarships and housing vouchers for women and children in need.
03Veteran Support & Trauma Support
Honoring veterans and supporting their families through workforce programs, scholarships, and compassionate assistance for families navigating trauma, loss, suicide, and other tragic events, extending that same compassion to orphans and widows.
04Economic Empowerment & Entrepreneurship
Workforce pathways, scholarship programs, and free enterprise education creating opportunity and independence, including faith-based certificates and training grounded in strong values. We also help guide those called to religious vocations.
The five principles that govern every program
Faith · Family · Freedom · Free Will · Free Enterprise
Faith
The moral foundation of a free people.
Family
The first and strongest institution.
Freedom
Earned by service, kept by memory.
Free Will
Dignity requires the right to choose.
Free Enterprise
Work and ownership build independence.
Leadership & Governance
Founding Board of Directors
Andrew Hanson
Founding Director
Andrew Hanson is an entrepreneur, real estate investor, and philanthropist whose story is one of resilience. He began as a hands-on maintenance technician and rose to manage hundreds of rental units before building a construction company, several real estate holding companies, and an award-winning publishing house. Having reached financial freedom early in his career, he now devotes himself to lifting up others.
Meghan Douglas Hanson
Founding Director
Meghan Douglas Hanson is a seasoned banking executive with 20 years of experience in financial management and leadership. As founder of Pond Life Vacation Rentals and CEO of Cityscape LLC, she pairs deep operational expertise with an active commitment to community involvement and serving the underserved. A lover of lake life and the outdoors, she brings that same warmth and care to everyone the Foundation reaches.
Why we started
Andrew and Meghan Hanson moved to New Hampshire from Massachusetts at the age of twenty with just $3,000, no safety net, and no family or friends nearby. Andrew began his career turning wrenches as a hands-on maintenance technician. Meghan started in the basement file room of a local bank. Through grit, faith, discipline, and hard work, their careers and businesses grew. However, their decision to establish the Live Free Foundation was shaped by personal experience, hardship, faith, and service rather than professional success.
“Our shared calling is to follow the rule of mercy and bless others through the Live Free Foundation.”
The Foundation also maintains an Advisory Board that helps oversee the Board and membership goals, providing guidance and community perspective distinct from the Founding Board of Directors.
In Honor Of
Edmund Roger Hall "Bumpa"
Grandfather of Andrew Hanson
U.S. Navy Korean War veteran • USS New Jersey
- 37 years of Federal Service, rising from apprentice to Utilities Director at Newport Naval Station
- Recognized as Federal Employee of the Year 1978
- Purchasing manager at Abington Savings Bank
- Parks & Recreation Commissioner and Abington’s first Golf Course Commissioner
- Devoted to Little League, Youth Basketball, and Pee Wee Hockey
- Lifelong Knight of Columbus 4th Degree Sir Knight, Abington Chapter 5254
Born in Braintree, Massachusetts, Edmund graduated in 1951 from Sacred Heart High School in Weymouth and joined the U.S. Navy at the height of the Korean War, serving four years aboard the USS New Jersey. He married his high school sweetheart, Beverly, settled in Abington, and together they raised their family. He continued with the Navy for another 33 years, rising from apprentice to Utilities Director at Newport Naval Station, and was named Federal Employee of the Year in 1978. After retiring from the Navy, he joined an old friend at Abington Savings Bank, serving as purchasing manager for many years. Edmund gave countless hours to his adopted hometown of Abington, including the Little League, Youth Basketball, and Pee Wee Hockey programs, as Parks and Recreation Commissioner, and as Abington’s first Golf Course Commissioner, and was a lifelong member of the Abington Knights of Columbus, Chapter 5254. An avid gardener and golfer, he spent many joyful years golfing with the Happy Warriors at Halifax Country Club. He is remembered as a quiet and candid man, intensely loyal to his family, friends, and country, and will be profoundly missed by those who loved him most.
Anthony C. "Andy" Cannata
Grandfather of Meghan Douglas Hanson
U.S. Navy Korean War veteran • Honor and Color Guard
- Past Commander of the Marshfield DAV (four terms) and lifelong member
- Past Commander of the Marshfield American Legion
- Member of the AMVETS, VFW, and National Trench Rats
- Charter Member of the Marshfield Elks
- Entrepreneur who owned and operated home-services businesses, hiring fellow disabled veterans
- Lifelong Supporter of Father Flannigan's Boy's Town
The son of a Sicilian immigrant, Andy was born in Boston and became a longtime resident of Marshfield. A veteran of the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, he served in the Honor and Color Guard and became a lifelong leader among his fellow veterans, serving as Past Commander of the Marshfield DAV for four terms and Past Commander of the Marshfield American Legion, and a member of the AMVETS, VFW, National Trench Rats, and Marshfield Elks. After coming home from the war, Andy started a home-services business, eventually owning and operating several small businesses as an entrepreneur and contractor in the communities he lived in, servicing neighbors and hiring many fellow disabled veterans along the way. From leading veteran organizations to creating jobs for veterans through his businesses, he understood that service doesn’t end when the uniform comes off. He supported widows, orphans, widowers, and many veterans in need of jobs, and above all was dedicated to loving his granddaughters and great-grandchildren. Andy’s life was marked by service to his country, devotion to his family, and active involvement in his community, leaving behind a legacy of leadership, compassion, and strong family ties.
Through their fraternal service, both supported widows and orphans. Their spirits will continue their watch over this foundation and all its supporters.