Getsinger makes her mark with Leelanau Indivisible

When Sam Getsinger was about 8 years old, her family would often visit the local theater on weekends to see its free film screenings.

She generally remembers the trips fondly, but one movie stands out in her memory for provoking outrage: the story was set in an orphanage, and Getsinger remembers feeling “incensed” over the plight of the children living in it.

So, the next day, a young Getsinger went knocking from door-to-door in her Louisiana neighborhood –— where she was living at the time — asking adults to consider adopting rather than having their own kids, so less children would experience the hardships of the characters in the movie. Looking back on it, Getsinger sees this as her first act of public advocacy.