GUEST POST: As a Students for Life of America (SFLA) William Wilberforce Fellow and member of Texas A&M University’s pro-life group called the Pro-Life Aggies, I strive to ensure my life-affirming words match my actions — and along with my group, I have fun in the process. Too often, we hear that our movement doesn’t care about life after birth, but the Pro-Life Aggies are turning that myth on its head. In just the first semester of the 2023-2024 school year, we have raised $3,500 for pregnant and parenting students at our school…and we have a fun twist helping to motivate us. Here’s what you need to know:
Each year, my group raises funds for our Pregnant and Parenting Student Scholarship, which we award at the end of the academic year (after all of our fundraising events have taken place). The money we have raised thus far is just the start of our fundraising efforts, and our overall goal is $30,000 to disperse among multiple recipients.
These recipients are to be awarded based on need. We choose them after interviewing candidates, asking about their financial situation as well as the support they have from friends, family, and partners. Based on their answers, we award the scholarship to students who demonstrate that such assistance would be helpful.
And how do we fundraise for this?
Our current funds are the result of our “Bring Back the Rivalry Campaign.” This is a friendly competition between the Pro-Life Aggies at Texas A&M University and the Horns for Life (another pro-life group) at the University of Texas. Our schools have a historic, 100-year-old rivalry, which our two pro-life groups decided to embrace to raise more funds for pregnant and parenting students on both campuses. We host the “Bring Back the Rivalry” campaign every November as a competition to see who can raise more money for their Pregnant and Parenting Student Scholarship.
This campaign is run on social media and through independent member advocacy, where loyal Aggies and Longhorns donate to their school’s pro-life group. Through one month of raising funds and some tough competition, the Pro-Life Aggies managed to take the win by raising $3,023.
The money raised through “Bring Back the Rivalry” is only a portion of our total from the first semester. We also have regular donors who have continued to support our group through the years, as well as profit shares and our merchandise fundraiser. All our proceeds from these events also go to our scholarship, which now has a current total of $3,500 (and counting). Our next large event is our annual, pro-life run (which is a 5k) on March 2, 2024. The proceeds from sponsors and registration fees for participants will all go toward our Pregnant and Parenting Student Scholarship. This run also provides another opportunity for spectators and supporters to donate to our group and our scholarship.
While these events may be in Texas, I highly encourage others in the pro-life movement to consider hosting similar ones to raise money for the families in need of our help. Even something that may seem small can have a huge impact — so let’s show the world we support women and children beyond just those nine months of pregnancy. Clearly, we can also have fun doing so.
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