As the year comes to a close, our staff and board members are reflecting on the ways God has blessed Right to Life this year through YOU, our generous supporters. Let’s take a look at what 2023 held for Right to Life of North Central Indiana.
January
January was a busy month! We posted two new billboards, one by the roundabout in Winona Lake and the other at the intersection of Rt. 6 and 15 (shared with RTL of Michiana). On January 21st, we held 3 memorial services in memory of the 63 million+ babies that have been aborted since the 1973 Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade. We took a group of students to the National March For Life in Washington, D.C. And, hundreds of pro-life supporters stood for life in the January Sanctity of Human Life Signature Ad published in the Times Union and celebrated Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.
February & March
In February and March, we spent time preparing for our 4 spring Legacy of Life banquets. A baby was surrendered at the Turkey Creek Fire Station in Syracuse (most likely due to the Safe Haven Hotline number advertised on the billboards)! On March 10th, our community spent 24 hours in prayer during our virtual Pray 4 Life Event! And throughout the year, we continued to promote the region’s pregnancy centers through billboard advertisements.
April
In April, through the generosity of our many donors, RTL raised thousands of dollars for the pro-life mission in North Central Indiana at the four spring Legacy of Life Banquets in Columbia City, Fulton, Marion, and Plymouth! Later in the month, we posted another new billboard on Rt. 30 near Larwill.
May-July
In June, our nation celebrated one year since the reversal of Roe v. Wade – a huge win for supporters of the pro-life movement! On June 17, we celebrated Right to Life Day at Franciscan Fireworks where 25% of all sales were donated to RTL. July was “Fair Month”! With your support, we set up a booth at the county fairs in Kosciusko, Whitley, and Marshall Counties. These are great opportunities to share the pro-life message with hundreds of fair-goers who may never come in contact with the message of life any other way!
August & September
In mid-August, we welcomed Grace College student, Liz Swain, to our RTL team. Liz helps manage our social media pages and furthers our pro-life outreach to the region’s high school and college-age students. Over Labor Day weekend, many RTL volunteers stepped up to serve at our booth at the Marshall County Blueberry Festival. On September 18, we celebrated the pro-life event of the year – the annual Fall Legacy of Life pro-life Banquet with keynote speaker, Ashley Bratcher, and emcee, Pat Miller. Over 600 guests attended the banquet and generously gave over $150,000! At the banquet, we also announced and introduced our new pro-life logo.
October
October began with the annual Life Chain, an event that gathered over 300 people in our 12 towns, and thousands more across the United States. Many RTL supporters from Warsaw also participated in Heartline Pregnancy Center’s annual Donut Dash 5K!
November
On November 3rd, we were pleased to host a record number of participants at our 10th annual Pregnancy Resource Center Networking Day! Over 80 staff and volunteers representing 20 centers attended the event, which offered free workshop-style training and networking opportunities to directors, staff, volunteers, and board members of pregnancy centers in NCI & beyond. We also began furthering our youth outreach by sending Liz to give a presentation about the abortion debate and the value of human life to the middle and high school youth group at First Christian Church in Warsaw.
December
In December, we began our year-end giving campaign, which so many of you have graciously given to. And, a generous supporter stepped up to contribute $4,000 for a match challenge towards the “Pay Down The Mortgage” campaign!
Through banquets, billboards, and various other forms of pro-life outreach, 2023 was an inspiring year for the life movement in North Central Indiana. As we look ahead into 2024, we are excited to partner with YOU to continue spreading the message of life in our region and beyond. See you next year!