Students for Life of America

St. Louis University (SLU) Students for Life, campus life-savers
After regaining momentum in the 2006-2007 school year, Students for Life at SLU had another extremely active year in 2007-2008. The year began with a positive Respect Life Week, including a featured speaker from Feminists for Life. Uniting with other pro-lifers, SFL organized a trip to the March for Life for over 80 students. During the first semester, the organization grew from 10-15 members to 50+ active members.

In the spring semester of 2008, the 2nd annual Run for Their Lives 5k run/walk raised $2,700. Over 150 people attended the on-campus run/walk. Also, SFL collaborated with multiple university departments to publish “It’s Positive. Now What?” which is the first and only printed resource for pregnant students on campus. To help women who choose life, SFL organized a baby shower for 15 mothers at Our Lady’s Inn, a crisis pregnancy center in St. Louis.

However, the highlight of the 2007-2008 school year was the creation of the Pregnant and Parenting Assistance Scholarship. SLU Students for Life believes that no student should have to choose between having an education and having a child. This scholarship is the first step in bringing financial resources to expecting women and men on campus, whether they are students, faculty, or staff. During the course of the year, SLU Students for Life were able to raise $6000 for the scholarship endowment fund.

University of Florida Pro-Life Alliance, campus life-savers
University of Florida Pro-Life Alliance is being recognized for their commitment to making Life an issue on their campus everyday.  This semester (Fall 2008) Pro-Life Alliance has created one of the most intense pro-life activity calendars.  This group has pro-life activities planned for every week during this semester. Already they have attended several political rallies to protest pro-choice policies, chalked hearts, tabled weekly with questions boards, clip boarded for new members, and held fundraisers. They have also held their annual Pro-Life week.  During their Pro-Life week they hosted Silent No More speakers, set up a baby shoe display, hosted a diaper drive for a local crisis pregnancy center, held a candlelight vigil, and sidewalk counseled at a local abortion clinic. They also set up tabling events with information focusing on the abortion and breast cancer link and the racism of the abortion industry.

Their hard work will continue throughout the entire semester with activities such as tabling, clip boarding and registering pro-life voters, and hosting a sea turtle egg smash display.  They also plan to participate in the Pro-Life Memorial Day and the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity.

In addition to their active pro-life calendar Pro-Life Alliance has demonstrated a commitment to networking with other pro-life students. The members of Pro-Life Alliance are actively forming the Florida Students for Life statewide group. Florida Students for Life is currently planning their first event for September 30th, “Florida Students Unite to Vote Pro-Life.”  They will be distributing voter guides and explaining why abortion is an important voting topic. In the spring, they plan to host a statewide conference and a lobby day.

Mary Washington Students for Life, campus life-savers

Mary Washington SFL was founded by Megan McCrumb in the 2004-05 school year. Their mission is to provide an educational forum for students and faculty, regarding the issue of abortion and to provide an opportunity for activism in the pro-life movement. Their main events in the 2007-08 school year were participating in the 2nd Annual Wash for Life, taking group members to see the Bella opening, attending the 2008 March for Life and Students for Life of America conference, organizing a Rock for Life concert on campus, making club t-shirts as seen in the picture, and holding diaper drives at local churches and stores collecting over 3100 individual diapers, 80 boxes of diaper wipes, 40 baby bibs, as well as baby clothes, baby powder, lotion, and shampoo, diaper bags, baby blankets, maternity clothes, baby hats, pacifiers, etc. for the local pregnancy resource centers in Fredericksburg, VA. Their group meets weekly and has had guest speakers this year from 40 Days for Life, Rachel’s Vineyard, the Vitae Caring Foundation, and Bethany Christian Services to help educate their members and peers. Mary Washington SFL is an example of what one motivated campus SFL group can accomplish in only 1 year!

Clarion University Students for Life, campus life-savers

Students for Life at Clarion used the Spring 2008 semester to change the nature of their campus. Clarion SFL worked with Feminists for Life to organize a Pregnancy Resource Forum on their campus. As a result of the forum, they were able to start a new group called the Pregnant and Parenting Resource Initiative to continue the work started by the Pregnancy Resource Forum. It is an organization run by and for pregnant and parenting students in order to provide support and advocacy for students with children. It is not an explicitly pro-life organization, but it does provide resources for students who are pregnant and parenting, making the choice for life a more viable option.

This Students for Life group is dedicated to making their campus an environment where a pregnant student can succeed. In addition, Clarion Students for Life attended the March for Life, participated in a rally with local pro-life leaders, held an abortion protest and held a pro-life fundraiser.

This upcoming year, Clarion SFL plans to continue networking with other student groups. They hope to hold a voter registration drive to register pro-life voters, hold a cemetery of the innocents, host a debate with a guest speaker, Life Week with various pro-life activities, and attend the March for Life and the Students for Life of America Annual Conference.

Joanie Barrett, life-saver

Joanie is a student at Wayne State in Detroit. As a sophomore, she helped start Students for Life at her school and began volunteering at a local crisis pregnancy center with some friends. She answered the phone at the clinic one day to hear a young woman ask, “How much is it for an abortion?” She called thinking that the pro-life pregnancy center was an abortion clinic. Joanie talked with her and helped her figure out her due date and stage of pregnancy, she was about two months along.

She told Joanie about her boyfriend, her mother, and her friends all pressuring her to have an abortion. But that wasn’t what she wanted. After hours of crying, talking, thinking and praying she finally decided to keep her baby. Months later, Joanie visited the two of them in the hospital when her son was born. That experience redefined her commitment to the pro-life cause. There is a baby alive today who almost didn’t make it. But she knew that it wasn’t just his life that was saved. So many women who have abortions experience terrible grief and immerse themselves in a lifestyle of promiscuity, drugs, and alcohol. And more abortions. But she chose life and is so glad she did. She is a great mom and is committed to providing the best she can for her son.

Erin Raiche, double life-saver

Erin was a former SFLA Field Coordinator and also a double life-saver. When working as an intern in the SFLA office in the summer of 2007, Erin saved 2 unborn children in 1 week! Erin saved one child by sidewalk counseling at a local Planned Parenthood and another by using Facebook.

© Students for Life of America 2008