Second Annual Pro-Life Campus Activism Winners Announced

MINNEAPOLIS, May 3 – Human Life Alliance (HLA) and Students for Life of America (SFLA) announce the winners of the second annual Campus Impact Award.

Designed to encourage students to develop pro-life activism on campus, this year’s award winners include clubs that sponsored a major first time event and two unique African American student outreach projects.

“It was difficult to select a winner this year,” stated HLA Executive Director Jo Tolck. “Student clubs from around the country worked on a variety of projects — many faced great opposition. We’re proud of each and every one of them.”

First Place: Northeastern University Right to Life (Boston, Massachusetts). This newly created pro-life club hosted its first “Respect Life Week” on campus. Among the many events designed to generate campus wide discussion of life issues were a memorial of innocents, pro-life pamphlet distribution, tabling and fetal model displays.

Second Place: Students for Life at Clarion University (Clarion, Pennsylvania). Creation of a campus collation designed to explore the impact of abortion on the African American community was the main outreach. Co- sponsoring organizations included Minority Students Services, Brothers of Christ and the local NAACP chapter. HLA’s “Did You Know?” publication was distributed to create an early demand for information, which culminated in a screening and discussion of the pro-life documentary “Maafa21.”

Third Place: Dukes for Life at James Madison University (Harrison, Virginia). A unique approach to communications and advertisement allowed Dukes for Life to develop a pro-life Facebook event for their campus. Students used HLA materials to create pro-life campus bulletin boards and posters to co-sponsor an event with the Student Black Alliance to focus on the genocidal consequences of abortion in the African American community.

SFLA Executive Director Kristan Hawkins said, “These students for life clubs have worked hard to present a pro- life message on campus. In many cases they must stand up to classmates and professors who ridicule them and belittle their deeply held belief that all life is worth protecting, including life in the womb.”

Winners received cash prizes of $500, $250 and $250, respectively, to develop ongoing pro-life efforts on campuses.

Second Annual Pro-life Campus Activism Contest Set for February and March

Human Life Alliance (HLA) and Students for Life of America (SFLA) announce the second annual Campus Impact Award challenge which offers $1,000 in prizes to student clubs that promote pro-life activism during the months of February and March.

The Award encourages students to act upon their pro- life beliefs after the March for Life and other walks fuels their spark of enthusiasm. Tens of thousands of young people turn out for these local and national events.

“We’re asking students to step up and be a catalyst for pro-life action on their campus,” said HLA Deputy Director Joe Langfeld. “When young people return from these powerful events, they’re inspired to stand up for life. The Impact Award helps young people show their peers that pro-life values are alive and well on campus.”

Ideas for student projects include distributing pro-life literature on campus, poster campaigns, leafleting at basketball games, tabling in the student union and more. Three cash prizes of $500, $250 and $250 will be awarded to the top three clubs who succeed in producing creative and broad reaching educational efforts.

Kristan Hawkins, SFLA Executive Director, stated, “This is just the type of encouragement students need to cultivate a pro-life presence on campus. In turn, the new opportunities developed through the challenge will launch pro-life clubs to a whole new level of activism.”

The 2009 Campus Impact Award winners were Purdue Students for Life (1st place), University of New Mexico Students for Life (2nd place) and the Carnegie Mellon University Respect Life Club (3rd place). Each club used unique opportunities on campus to present a dynamic pro-life message. University of New Mexico Students for Life increased their club size 70% as a result of their Campus Impact project.

Students are encouraged to contact Human Life Alliance or Students for Life of America to receive a copy of the official rules. The contest begins February 1st and runs through March 31, 2010. Contestants must document their “Campus Impact” project and submit presentation information for final judging by midnight of March 31st. YouTube videos, digital photos and emailed reports will be accepted.