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! Vikes for Life at Augustana University has been nominated for the best New 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  

Vikes for Life was established in 2006 but relaunched in 2024 and now has over 20 active members. Although the group exists on a tiny, pro-abortion campus, they hosted nearly 20 events this year, including tabling events and training to help change hearts and minds and encourage more students and faculty to become pro-life. The events included our Abortion on the Ballot tour display, training on apologetics and “What is a Person,” defunding Planned Parenthood efforts, and volunteering at their local Pregnancy Help Center’s (PHC) annual dinner.    

Vikes for Life collected and assembled vital supplies for local PHCs, showing tangible support for needy moms. This initiative provided real help to vulnerable women and strengthened the club’s sense of community and mission—proving that being pro-life means being pro-love and pro-action.  

They have been nominated for the best New Group of the Year for helping defeat Amendment G in South Dakota and educating many of their pro-choice peers on the dignity and sacredness of the value of human Life from the moment of conception. This amendment would have legalized abortion throughout all nine months.   

Groups are nominated for the New Group of the Year award for going above and beyond in the Five Pillars of Pro-Life Activism in the 2024-2025 academic year and were founded between January 2024 – January 2025.  

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

Vikes for Life’s Top Accomplishments in the 2024-2025 Academic Year 

Abortion on the Ballot Efforts to Help Defeat Amendment G  

Vikes for Life hosted our Abortion on the Ballot tour to warn students about the dangers of legalizing abortion through the ballot initiative. In over 65 conversations, they saw 10 pro-life activations and seven minds changed. These powerful stats show that face-to-face dialogue can transform hearts and expose how such laws could allow late-term abortion, remove parental rights, and put women at greater risk—all under the guise of “healthcare.”

 In addition, an ethics professor at Augustana hosted a panel inviting Augie Democrats and Vikes for Life to dialogue. Adisyn, Vikes for Life’s president, joined the panel and spoke to the nearly 30 people in attendance who came from all walks of life and both sides of the aisle. It was a great opportunity for the group to witness to more students and faculty on campus about the value of all human life from conception to natural death.   

Abortion on the Ballot Door Knocking in Sioux Falls  

During a crucial door knocking event in Sioux Falls, Vikes for Life was the only group to show up—and they didn’t hold back. With boldness and dedication, they knocked on over 2,700 doors to inform voters about the dangers of pro-abortion ballot measures. Their commitment to protecting life and engaging in the community stood as a powerful witness, showing what a small but faithful group can accomplish with conviction and heart. 

Life Chains & Prayer Vigils 

Vikes for Life is also a voice for the voiceless in their community as well. During the election season, they teamed up with Jacks for Life, the student group at South Dakota State University, to host Life Chains on the main highways in South Dakota. Their signs urged drivers to oppose Amendment G and stand for Life.  

In addition, Vikes for Life hosted prayer vigils outside of Planned Parenthood and prayed for the defunding of Planned Parenthood. They plan to host more prayer vigils in the coming academic year. 

COMING SOON IN 2025-2026… 

Vikes for Life hopes to continue their leadership on campus by building relationships with their community through their pregnancy resource centers, working more closely with South Dakota Right to Life, and educating their peers through more tabling, training, and panels. At the beginning of the year, they plan to table at the recruitment fair and add at least 20 more individuals to double their group size.  

By hosting events, engaging in advocacy, and equipping students with facts and compassion, they aim to make the pro-life message a lasting presence at Augustana. They also plan to hang up signs for the mobile unit the local pregnancy resource center brings to campus that provides STD testing, pregnancy testing, and ultrasounds. Their vision is clear: to be a voice for the voiceless and a light on campus.