Chapter Profile: Fayetteville Chapter of North Carolina Right to Life

Consistency Key to Chapter's Success

By Holly Miller, NRL Field Coordinator

"Out of sight, out of mind" accurately characterizes the average Joe and Jane's regular consideration of the life issues. We know that even though abortion is not on the front page or even in the pages of our local newspapers, nearly 4,000 unborn children die daily by induced abortions. Thus, a critical task for chapters is to keep the life issues at the forefront of the public's mind.

Fayetteville Right to Life (FRL) of Fayetteville, North Carolina, has tackled that task head on. Its approach, according to former chapter president Allen Morris, sounds simple enough: "prayer and education." Its method is consistency. FRL members have established a consistent, regular presence in their city, county, and region by doing the little things that make a big difference in their community.

What I mean by "consistent, regular presence" is that FRL sponsors the same quarterly events every year so that members of the group and the community have come to expect them.

For example, in the spring, FRL reaches into the homes of every Fayetteville Observer newspaper subscriber by running full-page ads in the Mother's Day edition. The 2000 ad honors all mothers "who have said a loving 'yes' to life" and lists hundreds of local churches, organizations, families, and individuals that "affirm that children are a gift from God."

In the summer, the chapter hosts a booth at the county fair abounding with educational information and a set of fetal models. Morris said that his approach to presenting the fetal models to children is to persuade them "to cradle the models as if they were their own babies" while he explains that at the varying stages of pregnancy, a baby is "this big" inside his/her mommy.

That way, he explained, children make the connection that this is a baby, and should one of the girls ever end up in a crisis pregnancy, she will think of this baby and how big he or she is inside of her own womb. FRL has also hosted booths in neighboring Robeson County in order to identify local pro-lifers and lay the foundation for another chapter there.

Outreach efforts have helped FRL cultivate relationships with over 100 local churches, including an Islamic mosque.

FRL works to have a high-profile pro-life event every season, thus keeping the life issues in the Fayetteville community's mind's eye and establishing FRL as the local educational and public voice for the unborn.

The question now becomes "how" does the group accomplish these big projects year after year. The fact that it does these programs annually has made it easier because it has established a rapport with the local businesses and government offices with which it must coordinate its efforts. Also, now that FRL has done each project many times, much of the planning becomes "old hat" and members are free to focus on the minor adjustments to these programs or working on a new or one-time project, like a billboard.

Spacing events out has given the chapter plenty of time to plan upcoming events. The group's current president, Judy Hunt, explained, "You've got to have enough lead time." She continued by encouraging groups to start planning an event 45-60 days in advance and as much as 90 days in advance when government permits are needed.

Morris and Hunt both noted that their chapter's success for nearly twenty years has relied on having pro-lifers support events rather than attend meetings and by operating as a working group of about 10 volunteers who combine efforts to plan the projects.

Sometimes it is necessary for chapters to turn a cliché on its head. It is what they do rather than how they do it. Having realistic goals and enough committed volunteers to plan projects without getting burned out is the "how" for FRL. More importantly, the chapter has established itself as a reputable community organization committed to the welfare of its members, especially the women and unborn children whose lives are changed and saved thanks to the efforts of Fayetteville Right to Life.

Do you know of a local chapter or chapter activity that NRL News readers should know about? Or have you read a "Chapter Profile" in NRL News and thought, "I could do that," and you want more information on starting a chapter? If so, please contact NRLC Field Coordinator Holly Miller at (202) 626-8800, ext. 108 or send an e-mail to nrlchapters@hotmail.com.