Archive for the 'Club News' Category

If you haven’t yet made plans to attend the March for Life in Washington, DC, there’s still time, but not much. The March is January 22 — two weeks from today.

We’ve mentioned before that in addition to the March itself, there are also many great pro-life events being held in and around Washington the previous weekend.

Try to attend one of them if you can:

• Georgetown Right to Life’s Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life, January 21
• Rock for Life’s Training & Activism Weekend, January 20-22
• Stand True’s March for Life Weekend, January 19-22
• Students for Life of America’s Annual Conference, January 20

And, on the morning of the 22nd, there’s also the Blogs for Life Conference, where GFL’s own Eric Scheidler will be one of the speakers.

Hope to see you there!

Registration forms are now available for our TeenSpeak 2008!

TeenSpeak is our annual pro-life conference for teens held in conjunction with SpeakOut Illinois, the state’s largest pro-life convention.

Dr. Anthony Levatino will be the main speaker at this year’s TeenSpeak conference. Dr. Levatino is a former abortionist who will share his unique conversion story and explain why he became pro-life.

Scott Klusendorf — one of most persuasive pro-life speakers I’ve ever heard — will also speak.

TeenSpeak 2008 will be held on Saturday, February 2 at the Drury Lane Hotel in Oakbrook Terrace [map]. More information is available here.

The TeenSpeak registration form can be downloaded here [pdf].

You won’t want to miss it!

If you’ve been to the March for Life in Washington, DC, you’re probably already planning to attend the 2008 March next month, or wish you were. If you’ve never been to the March, you should go — you won’t regret it!

In addition to the March itself on January 22, where hundreds of thousands of people — most of them teens and college students — walk along the National Mall to the Supreme Court building, there are many great pro-life events being held in Washington the previous weekend.

Try to attend one of them if you can:

• Georgetown Right to Life’s Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life, January 21
• Rock for Life’s Training & Activism Weekend, January 20-22
• Stand True’s March for Life Weekend, January 19-22
• Students for Life of America’s Annual Conference, January 20

A few weeks ago I posted about a student at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford, VA, who sued her school after she was told she would not be allowed to start a pro-life club.

Faced with a lawsuit, the school backed down, and the Pro-Life Club is now up and running, with the full permission of the Colonial Forge administration.

Huzzah!

Stephanie Hoffmeier with her mother, Bernadette [Washington Post photo]

The Washington Post had a great article yesterday about the student, Stephanie Hoffmeier, and her refusal to take no for an answer when the school denied her and her fellow pro-life students the right to have a club of their own.

Stephanie’s comments in the article indicate that she is sensible, devout, and humble—all excellent qualities for a pro-life leader:

“We just wanted the same rights as other clubs. It’s not a radical thing to expect equal treatment.”

“I feel God has put it [starting the club] on my heart for a pretty long time.”

“I just prayed and asked for God’s will to be done.”

“I’m just the one who took action. But there are many others — many, many others.”

God bless you, Stephanie!

[HT: Bryan Kemper of Stand True]

Homeschoolers for Life recently asked us to publicize their second annual Homeschoolers Pro-Life Essay Contest.

We’re glad to do so.

Homeschooled students between the ages of 8 and 17 are eligible, and will compete in one of three categories:

• Senior Writers (Ages 15 to 17)
• Junior Writers (Ages 12 to 14)
• Primary Writers (Ages 8 to 11)

All essays must be postmarked by December 15. More information on the contest is here.

Bryan Kemper of Stand True reports that students from over 4,600 schools in 19 countries participated in the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity on Tuesday.

Many students who chose to give up their voice for a day faced quite a lot of opposition, Bryan said:

We have heard some of the most shocking stories about how some of the students were treated by other students, teachers and administrators. From being pushed down stairs, shoved into lockers, having tape ripped off their mouths, being called names and laughed at and even teachers and school staff screaming at kids and calling them stupid.

In the face of all this persecution, the students stood strong and continued their vigil for the babies. Christians in American have it easy and don’t face a lot of the persecution that goes on in the world. These students saw some of that and remained resolute in their mission. They have been telling me how much stronger it made them, and how much more they knew they needed to continue to be a voice.

Imagine something as simple as the word life written on your mouth can cause such hatred and anger. This shows us more now than ever that the pro-life message needs to be Christ centered. The only thing that can turn that anger and hatred around, is the hope we find in our loving savior, Jesus Christ.

To all who participated in the Silent Day: God bless you!

Related

• LifeNews: Pro-Life Students Heckled During Abortion Protest Day

A group of students at Colonial Forge High School in Stafford, VA wanted to start a pro-life club at their school.

The school said no.

So the students sued the school.

The school backed down.

These students are now allowed to have a pro-life club and enjoy the same rights as other groups at their school.

I’m always disappointed when I hear about schools trying to prevent students from starting pro-life clubs, especially because they so clearly have no right to discriminate against pro-life students.

On the other hand, I’m always thrilled to hear about students like the ones at Colonial Forge who stood up for their constitutional rights and refused to take no for an answer.

If you’re in a public school and you want to start a pro-life club at your school, or if you know someone who is, we’d be glad to help you do that. And if the school tells you can’t start a pro-life club, say— respectfully—that you have a right to start one if you want to.

And if the school still says no, then talk to us. We know some great pro-life lawyers who would love to help you out.

We recently got an e-mail from Donna Fedosenko, the moderator of the Pro-Life Club at St. Joseph School in Joliet, IL, asking us to help them promote their first ever Walk for Life.

This is a great idea, and we’re glad to help promote it!

Here’s the information Donna sent us:

(more…)

There are a lot of pro-life activities going on these days, not just locally here in the Chicago area—where we’re located—but nationwide as well.

Here are a few:

Youth for Truth Rally in Chicago

YFT President Mary Kate Guest sent me these details:

[We’ll] meet at the Planned Parenthood located at 1200 N. LaSalle Dr. (map) at 1:00pm. We will plan to pray at the Planned Parenthood till 1:45pm.

At that time we will process along the sidewalks (we will head west along Division, and then South along Orleans St.) to St. Joseph’s, located at 1107 N. Orleans (map). We should arrive at the church by 2:00pm, where the band and speakers will take over.

If you go, I’d recommend you take public transportation.

More information on the Youth for Truth Rally is here.

Pro-Life Day of Silent Day Solidarity

I’ve already posted about Stand True’s Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity, but I want to put in another plug for it.

The Silent Day isn’t until next Tuesday, but it’s already beginning to bear fruit.

Earlier today, I spoke with Bryan Kemper, the director of Stand True, and he told me about a 17-year old girl who is pregnant and whose boyfriend had been pressuring her to have an abortion.

She found out about the Silent Day through their MySpace page. The Silent Day campaign and hearing a song by the pro-life band Ilia, have inspired her to keep her baby!

You can register to participate in the Silent Day here.

Students for Life of Illinois Conference

If you can’t make it to the We’re Here for Life Rally, you might want to go instead to the Students for Life of Illinois Conference at DePaul University, which will also be held on October 27.

More information and online registration is available here.

Dawn Eden Speaks in Worcester, MA

Dawn Eden will be giving a presentation titled “Preventing Teen Pregnancy: The Catholic Approach” at St. Paul’s Cathedral in Worcester, MA at 7:00pm this Tuesday, October 23.

Dawn has asked for prayers as she prepares for this talk.

Keeping up with all the developments surrounding the Aurora Planned Parenthood situation has been keeping us busy lately.

There are several things I’ve been wanting to post about for a while now, but am just getting around to it now.

Here are a few of those “several things”.

Pro-Life Memorial Day

Sponsored by American Life League, this annual event is this Monday, October 1. Even though it’s just a few days from now, it’s not too late to participate.

Get more information here.

Pro-Life Day of Silent Day Solidarity

Sponsored by Stand True Ministries, this is also an annual event, scheduled for Tuesday, October 23.

There’s more information here.

Equal Rights for Pro-Life Clubs

We’re often been asked by public school students if it’s possible to start a pro-life club at their school. The answer is yes.

Believe it or not, it’s sometimes even easier for public school students to start a pro-life club at their school than it is for students in a private school.

That’s because the Equal Access Act, passed by the U. S. Congress in 1984, prohibits nearly all public schools from discriminating against student-run clubs based on viewpoint.

Some schools have tried to discriminate against certain student clubs, but when they do, and when, in response, students challenge their schools in court, it’s students who consistently win.

Just last week, for example, a federal judge ruled that Farmington Hills High School in Farmington, Michigan must grant the school’s Bible club the same rights and privileges as other extracurricular clubs. Aaron Girder, the president and co-founder of the club, had sued his school after the administration denied his club these rights.

If you’re in a public school and you want to start a pro-life club at your school, or if you know someone who is, we’d be glad to help you do that. And if a school administrator tells you can’t start a pro-life club, say — respectfully — that you have a right to start one if you want to.

And if the administrator still says no, then talk to us. We know some great pro-life lawyers who would love to help you out.

Calling All Artists (and Poets, and Videographers, etc., etc.)

For those of you who are feeling especially creative, you won’t want to miss your chance to enter The 3rd Annual Margaret Sanger at the Ku Klux Klan Rally Art Contest.

Yes, it’s true: Margaret Sanger, the founder of the largest abortion provider in the country, Planned Parenthood, spoke to the Women’s Branch of the Ku Klux Klan in Silver Lake, New Jersey in 1926.

Full details on the contest are available at The Truth About Margaret Sanger.

Danny Schleitwiler, one of the founding members of Youth for Truth — the group that sponsored the huge teen rally at the Aurora Planned Parenthood site earlier this month — has asked me to post a general invitation to the group’s next meeting tomorrow, September 19, at 3:30pm in the library at Aurora Central Catholic High School [see map here]:

Any and all youth are invited and welcome to come be a part of the planning for our future. We will be discussing our platform of beliefs and what our upcoming plans will be.

(Some members of YFT were pictured carrying a large cross during Saturday’s Jericho March finale in this Chicago Tribune article that appeared yesterday.)

I was happy to see that the Youth for Truth Rally on Saturday got a good write-up in the Aurora Beacon.

From the time YFT formed just two weeks ago, I’ve been amazed at their enthusiasm and dedication to the pro-life cause. Now, with the huge success of Saturday’s rally, I’m even more impressed.

I’ve posted below some pictures I took at the event:

(more…)

Saturday’s “Youth for Truth” Rally out at the Planned Parenthood site was a spectacular success. All 500 T-shirts were given away, and many teens will have to wait until the next Youth for Truth event to get theirs.

Hundreds of parents, grandparents and younger siblings came out to support the teens. It was a great day. (See a larger version of the above image here.)

As kids arrived at the event starting at about 12:30, they were given a T-shirt (until they ran out), and then invited to pray in the ongoing Vigil; join the swelling picket line along New York Street; or hold a large, stationary sign on Oakhurst or New York. Students came from Aurora West, Aurora East, Waubonsee, Aurora Central Catholic, Rosary, Marmion, Aurora Christian and other area high schools. Students also came from Aurora University, Illinois State and other colleges.

Drivers passing the large signs along the north side of New York first saw an eight week unborn baby, then a little born baby, and finally a toddler—a quick lesson in the continuity of human life. Along Oakhurst, large signs of Jesus holding a tiny aborted baby read alternately, “Abortion Kills His Children” and “Jesus Forgives and Heals.” At its height, the picket line on the south side of New York boasted 400 teens and their families. (more…)

**UPDATE: 8/31, 10:20AM…Today’s Aurora Beacon has an article on tomorrow’s rally. In it, Youth for Truth co-founder Mary Kate Guest of Aurora is quoted as saying, “Since Planned Parenthood targets our youth, we have to stand up and say we know that, and target youth caught in the trap.”

Last week, I mentioned that Youth for Truth is sponsoring a rally at the Aurora Planned Parenthood site from 1:00 - 3:00PM this Saturday, September 1.

This new group of Aurora area pro-life teens come from all different types of schools — public schools, Catholic schools, Christian schools, home schools, and universities. I’ve attended their first two planning meetings, and I’m amazed at their enthusiasm and dedication to the pro-life cause.

They’re counting on 500 young people coming out to stand with them against Planned Parenthood.

The Rally will include:

• Music, praise and worship
• Teen speakers on fighting for life
• A talk by Yvonne Florczak-Seeman on her abortion experience at Planned Parenthood
• Free Youth for Truth T-shirts (For those of you who missed out on the pro-life T-shirts we gave away earlier this month, here’s another chance to get a free shirt!)

See you there!

**UPDATE: 8/31, 10:20AM… If you’re on Facebook, sign up to attend the Rally here.

The Dallas Catholic Pro-Life Committee reports that their 2007 Boot Camp was a great success:

More than 60 youth came to the 2007 Boot Camp. They spent 5 days immersing themselves in sidewalk counseling and praying at the mills, the bio-ethics of In Vitro Fertilization and Stem Cell Research, the Gospel of Life and many other things.

They did service projects, volunteered at CPC’s and held a baby shower for 2 families in need.

They promise that next summer’s Boot Camp will be even bigger and better.

Looking forward to it!