By Felicia Goeken
Volunteer Identification Program Coordinator
You and I have been given the greatest gift of all. We have been
given the gift of life. That is why I am able to write this article
and you are able to read it. This is not a profound, philosophical statement,
of course. But it is the thought that popped into my mind when I started
on my Christmas list for my big, beautiful family.
Moms, Grandmas, and Great-Grandmas can never buy a gift more special
than the one already given. By their very existence, we know our children,
grandchildren, and great-grandchildren have already received the greatest
gift of all - - their very own gift of life.
What we do with what we have been given is the key to who we are and what
we'll become. This theory lies behind almost every VIP column I have
written.
There are so many of you out there who, with just a quick call or letter,
could actually begin to bring the pro-life message right to your neighbor's
doorstep. You can cause strangers to stop and think about the threatened
lives of the unborn, just by following a plan and using your telephone to
ask a few simple questions.
You can swell the ranks of people who will help your local right to life
organization, or even start one where there is none. In other words, you
can help in a program that will open peoples' eyes and hearts, to see and
to understand that this very great gift of life is something they
can share.
Minimal cost, no shopping necessary. By giving of yourself, your time, your
talent you can give those gifts which last a lifetime.
We made special contact with almost 5,000 previous volunteers last month.
Now, in this special season of the year, we eagerly look forward to hearing
from all of you who have never volunteered before. We await your message
of hope.
NRLC Volunteer Identification Program (VIP) is a telephone survey conducted
in all 50 states with the cooperation of NRLC's state affiliates.
The survey is done either from home or from phone banks. VIP volunteers
are the primary strength of the project. Identified pro-life people are
then enlisted at the local and state levels to strengthen their organizational
efforts.