As the 2024-2025 academic year comes to a close, Students for Life of America (SFLA) will be awarding several outstanding Students for Life groups with Best New Group, Best High School Group, Best College Group, and Best Standing With You (SWY) Group distinctions – and you get to help us choose which groups deserve these awards! Leos Protecting Life has been nominated for the best Standing With You Group of the Year Award. 

The winning group from each category, selected by the Pro-Life Generation (PLG), will receive a certificate, a shoutout on our national social media accounts, and a $300 donation to help expand the group’s efforts further next school year. 

About the Group 

Leos Protecting Life was established in 2024 and has nearly 25 active members. The group boasted over 10 events, including hosting SFLA Spokesperson Lydia Taylor Davis, participating in the first California Diaper Drive, and establishing the Leo Baby Pantry on campus.  

They have been nominated for the best Standing With You Group of the Year for being a social safety net for mothers and parenting students during the 2024-2025 academic year! Leos Protecting Life supported three student moms this year through the Leo Baby Pantry. 

Groups nominated for the Standing With You Group of the Year award have gone above and beyond in the Supportive Services pillar of pro-life activism. These student groups strive to serve women and families by advocating for policy changes on their campuses that support pregnant and parenting students and create a culture of life. 

Read about their accomplishments below to decide if they will receive your vote. 

Leos Protecting Life’s Top Accomplishments in the 2024-2025 Academic Year 

Leo Baby Pantry Project 

The Leo Baby Pantry Project initiative was established at the University of La Verne as a resource for pregnant or parenting students. Like a campus food pantry, the Leo Baby Pantry enables women and families to access free resources like food, clothes, and diapers.   

Leos Protecting Life has worked hard in the Supportive Services Pillar of Pro-Life Activism by supporting three student moms. The student group partnered with Claremont College’s Cradling Love SFLA group to raise over $400 and two carts full of diapers to help more families in the community.  

They hope to expand their reach in the coming school year by making this a more permanent spot on campus! 

Connecting Pregnant and Parenting Students with Resources 

In addition to the Leo Baby Pantry, the group also created a form for La Verne students to fill out with details about their situation so that Leos Protecting Life can support them in their time of need. So far, the group has helped five student moms.  

They are creating a culture of life in the community both on and off campus. Several professors have added the Google Form to their syllabi so that the group can reach more students who might currently be pregnant or soon find out that they are pregnant. They also have a great relationship with one of the supermarkets in La Verne, allowing them to table and fundraise for moms outside of the store freely. 

Leos Protecting Life at the University of La Verne is changing the culture! 

Protecting Life During the California Wildfires 

Leos Protecting Life has been a social safety net for mothers and parenting students on their campuses. It also acted as a first responder during the California fires by catering to the needs of many families with young children.  

La Verne is only about 30 minutes from Altadena, California, so many students and group members had friends and family greatly affected by the fires. The group worked with local PHCs and churches to help families recover. Leos Protecting Life is pro-life for the whole life, protecting life from conception to natural death and in all situations!  

COMING SOON IN 2025-2026…  

Leos Protecting Life hopes to continue their leadership on campus by expanding access to Standing With You and other pregnant and parenting resources. They also plan to work with an on-campus office, such as The Center for Multicultural Services (CMS), to store items for the Leo Baby Pantry in a locker, enabling more women and families to access the resources throughout the entire academic year. 

Click HERE for more information about Standing With You.