Scholarships Go Long Way in Involving Pro-Life Youth in Movement

Student Scholarships Win Big in Wyoming

By Holly Smith, Advisor
NRL Field Coordinator

Pro-life churches are a great place to raise money for a project like this, because, as Sanchez points out, "each [church-goer] may contribute but a bit and know they have helped in the fight against abortion." Regardless of how you raise the money, a scholarship program is a good way to utilize it.

Like adult activists, pro-life students have a lot on their plates, not the least of which is preparing and applying for college, and then scraping together scholarships, loans, and earnings to pay for it.

Leo Sanchez, a retired teacher and longtime pro-life activist, knows a little must go a long way in the pro-life movement. He also understands the importance of involving young people in the pro-life movement. Last year, he combined his dedication to education and to the cause of the unborn to help over 30 pro-life Natrona County high school graduates attend college.

This scholarship program was a little different, and proves that a little goes a long way. Wanting to involve as many students as possible in the scholarship program, Sanchez decided to award the scholarships by lottery. He reasoned, "The kind of scholarship that requires grade point, references, and other hoops for students to jump through are always intimidating for 90% of the students.... This scholarship program by lottery makes students feel they have the right to equal opportunity."

In order to fund the scholarship program, Sanchez's group collected spare change at two area churches. The collection raised over $3,000! They are now branching out to more churches in the hopes of raising much more money for this year's and future programs.

Pro-life churches are a great place to raise money for a project like this, because, as Sanchez points out, "each [church-goer] may contribute but a bit and know they have helped in the fight against abortion." Regardless of how you raise the money, a scholarship program is a good way to utilize it.

Instead of sponsoring one large or several medium-sized scholarships, the group decided to break the $3,000+ into over 30 individual $100 scholarships. Practically speaking, it'll help towards a student's meal plan or buy several books, but by offering over 30 chances to win $100, many more students participated.

To conduct the program, promotional posters were placed at the three Natrona County high schools and announcements promoting the scholarship were read at the schools. Students only had to submit their name, address, phone number, high school, and a pro-life statement or phrase. Since the scholarships were awarded by lottery, student statements were not judged - - they were a necessary means for each student to invest some thought into why he or she was pro-life and why it mattered.

For instance, one winner wrote simply, "Say 'Yes' to our future." Another paraphrased Mother Teresa by saying, "It is horrifying to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish. If you are in a position to decide the fate of a life, think of the decision that was made for your life." Several connected the significance of their upcoming graduations with sentiments such as, "This Graduation Day may not have come if my loving mother had decided wrong."

The pro-life scholarship program was so successful in Natrona County that Right to Life of Wyoming expanded it to a statewide program this year. Matt Roberts, president of Right to Life of Wyoming, acknowledged, "In the years since Roe v. Wade, some of the greatest battles for life have been fought within the walls of the public school system." With a program like this one, your chapter will be able to reach and invest in pro-life students by encouraging them to invest in the pro-life movement.