Join us for Cupcakes at the Capitol on Wednesday, March 7th, 2012 in Springfield as we meet with pro-life lobbyists and state legislators to inform them about life-saving bills.

This is your opportunity to affect pro-life policy in Illinois! We are looking for students who are passionate about the pro-life cause and not afraid to share their beliefs and values.

A brief overview of the day:

- Meet with pro-life lobbyists in Springfield to discuss some of the key legislation that will be voted on this session
- Lobby State Senators and Representatives from your home district and tell them why they should vote pro-life
- Write follow up letters and have a round table discussion about your experiences
- Get to know other pro-life students from all around the state!

We are looking for students to bake and individually wrap approximately 275 cupcakes to be brought to the legislators and also students interested in lobbying on Wednesday, March 7th.

Join us in Springfield

To sign up, click here!

You must register by March 2nd. We hope to see you there!

NPLTW aims to increase awareness of the personhood of the child in the womb and the tragedy of abortion. Just by wearing a t-shirt and being out there in public you will help to accomplish that goal!

To order the official NPLTW t-shirt, click here. There you can also find more details about NPLTW and instructions for entering their photo contest for a chance to win an iPad or iPod!

RSVP to participate in Illinois here!

Join us for Cupcakes at the Capitol on Tuesday, February 15th, 2011 in Springfield as we meet with pro-life lobbyists and state legislators to inform them about upcoming bills concerning pro-life issues.

This is your opportunity to affect pro-life policy in Illinois! We are looking for students who are passionate about the pro-life cause and not afraid to share their beliefs and values.

A brief overview of the day:
-Meet with pro-life lobbyists in Springfield to discuss some of the key legislation that will be voted on this session
-Bring cupcakes to state senators and representatives from your home district and tell them why they should vote pro-life
-Write follow up letters and have a round table discussion on your experiences
-Get to know other pro-life students from all around the state!

We are looking for students to bake and individually wrap approximately 275 cupcakes to be brought to the legislators and also students interested in lobbying on Tuesday, February 15th. To sign up, click here! You must register by February 8th. We hope to see you there!

Education
Dr. Michael J. New: Michael J. New is an assistant professor in Political Science at the University of Alabama. His research interests include the positive impact of pro-life legislation in the states, state-level fiscal reform, and welfare reform.

Eric Scheidler: Eric is the Executive Director of the Pro-Life Action League. He speaks frequently on pro-life issues to audiences around the country.

JT Eschbach: JT has been sidewalk counseling in Chicago for over six years. JT has travelled the country to share is insights on counseling and it becoming a noted speaker on the pro-life circuit.

Leadership
Pete Mockaitis: Pete is a national speaker and author. He holds degrees in organizational administration and finance.

Peter Breen: Peter is an attorney with the Thomas More Society. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Students for Life of Illinois.

John-Paul Deddens: John-Paul is a graduate of the University of Illinois in Engineering. He is the Founder and Executive Director of Students for Life of Illinois.

Students for Life is very excited to feature all of these excellent speakers! Click here to register for the 2010 Summit!

Students for Life of Illinois’ fourth annual leadership summit, Bring Your Campus to Life, will be held on Saturday, October 16th, at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet other pro-life leaders, listen to nationally-known speakers, and learn more about the impact you can have on your campus! Click here for more information on the 2010 Summit.

Jill Stanek is a Pro-Life Activist and Blogger. She has been quoted in the national media on television, radio, in print, and by local and national legislators. Jill writes on pro-life issues as a weekly columnist for WorldNetDaily.com and oversees her own blog, JillStanek.com, the top ranking pro-life blog in the U.S.
Click here to register for the Summit and hear Jill speak!

Jill became involved in the pro-life movement when she was a registered nurse in the Labor & Delivery Department at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, IL. She discovered not only were abortions being committed there, but babies were being aborted alive to die without medical care. When hospital leaders said that they would not stop, Jill went public and has become a national figure in the effort to protect both born and pre-born infants.

Jill is a wife to Rich, mother to 3 children, and grandmother to 4 grandsons. She has addressed many groups at the local, regional, and national levels sharing her testimony and giving an insider’s view to the atrocity of abortion.

Students for Life is very excited to feature Jill at our 2010 Leadership Summit. Jill’s commitment to the pro-life cause led her to risk her job, reputation, and friendships to stop the terrible practices of abortion and infanticide. Be sure to click here to register for the 2010 Summit and hear Jill speak!

Students for Life of Illinois’ fourth annual leadership summit, Bring Your Campus to Life, will be held on Saturday, October 16th, at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Take advantage of this opportunity to meet other pro-life leaders, listen to nationally-known speakers, and learn more about the impact you can have on your campus! Click here for more information on the 2010 Summit.

Day Gardner is the President and Founder of The National Black Pro-Life Union and the Director of Public Relations for the National Pro-Life Action Committee. She is a sought after speaker who travels throughout the United States. She serves on several boards including the National Pro Life Religious Council and Students for Life of America. Click here to register for the Summit and hear Day speak!

Day Gardner made history as first black woman to be named a semi-finalist in the Miss America Pageant. Formally a professional singer, dancer, and actress, she traveled across the United States and abroad staring in many extravagant stage and production shows.

Ms. Gardner has been actively involved in a number of charities.  She spent a year working with the mentally disabled for the ARC of Atlantic County, New Jersey and served meals to Atlantic City’s homeless.  She also spearheaded an annual toy and clothing drive for needy families in the Atlantic City area. She serves on several boards including the National Pro Life Religious Council and Students for Life of America. She anchors a radio programs for National Pro-Life Radio and WCAR-1040 AM Detroit. Ms. Gardner is wife and mother.

Students for Life is very excited to feature Day at our 2010 Leadership Summit. Her outstanding work for the unborn is a testament to the impact one person can make. Day Gardner wants to help you bring your campus to life!  Be sure to click here to register for the 2010 Summit and hear Day speak!

Students for Life of Illinois’ fourth annual leadership summit, Bring Your Campus to Life, will be held on Saturday, October 16 at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.  Take advantage of this opportunity to meet other pro-life leaders, listen to nationally-known speakers, and learn more about the impact you can have on your campus! Click here for more information on the 2010 Summit.

Most pregnant women on college campuses feel they have NO choice but abortion. We want to inform students of ALL of the life-giving choices available to them!

Update your Facebook/Twitter/AIM/etc. status to “Know ALL your choices on campus – bit.ly/cJc91Y” or “Help YOUR campus provide life-giving choice to pregnant students! – bit.ly/cJc91Y”

Make sure you click here to visit the Choice on Campus website! Read the information and take action on your campus!

There are several campaigns around Illinois this Fall. SFLI is sponsoring the Campaign in Urbana-Champaign, so if you are in central Illinois please contact us!

We encourage everyone to be a part of this great 40 day event. We challenge you to commit to at least one hour a week!

Here are the campaigns near you!

Champaign-Urbana - http://40daysforlife.com/champaign/

Chicago - http://40daysforlife.com/chicago/

Downers Grove - http://40daysforlife.com/downersgrove/

Granite City - http://40daysforlife.com/granitecity/

Peoria - http://40daysforlife.com/peoria/

Zion - http://40daysforlife.com/zion/

SFLI hosted this retreat in order to give pro-life leaders the opportunity to jump-start their pro-life work on their respective campuses in the fall. Retreat participants got specific insights on how to greatly expand the pro-life movement on their different college campuses, and they also had a chance to collaborate with each other and gain perspective and ideas from other leaders like themselves.

Alicia kicked off the retreat with a stimulating talk on what it is to be a true leader. She gave valuable reflections on building a team and working with others, and emphasized the importance of a willingness to make sacrifices for the sake of the greater good.

John-Paul followed up Alicia’s speech with a plan of action. He explained the SFLI method that will change college campuses into campuses that respect the dignity of human life. Through pro-life discussions and mentorship, SFLI will equip students with the knowledge and resources to become active pro-lifers, and SFLI will build up more and more student leaders.

After hearing about true leadership and about the expansion of the pro-life movement on campuses, the student leaders at the retreat broke into smaller groups and discussed among themselves how they could apply these principles to their campuses.

In the afternoon, Lindsay Pyrcik, an SFLI intern, gave a short review of activism. Lindsay gave testimony to her different activism experiences, and suggested the best ways to talk to your peers in any situation about being pro-life.

The retreat attendees split into two groups then in order to participate in a Pro-Life Round Table. John-Paul had explained Round Tables in his talk that morning, and this gave the student leaders a chance to experience it for themselves. A Round Table is a discussion where anywhere from four to ten students meet to talk, think critically, and expand their knowledge about different pro-life issues. During the school year, any one Round Table group will meet about once a week. The student leaders at the retreat had very positive feedback on the Round Table discussions, and are excited to get them going on their campuses!

Following the Round Tables, Jenny Meyer, a pro-life activist, gave the leaders a plethora of tips and techniques on recruiting new members for their pro-life groups and Round Tables, especially during the rush of the first couple of weeks on campus. Jenny explained the importance of building relationships with students who you want to join you in the pro-life movement, and specifically expressing interest in them.

The student leaders were then given another chance to break into smaller groups and talk to each other about how they would implement these ideas on their campuses, and how they could really make use of them.

Finally, the retreat closed with Peter Breen, a board member of SFLI and an attorney for the Thomas More Society, a pro-life law firm. Peter tied the retreat together and gave the leaders a chance to ask any questions that they had on anything to do with the pro-life movement.

From left to right: Kelly, Mary, Erin, Jovana, Laura, Hannah, and Kelly

Speaking from my personal perspective, I thought that this was a great retreat. Since I was one of the coordinators, I didn’t quite get a chance to participate in everything, but I feel that I truly benefited from everything of which I was a part. As a student leader, I found that every topic addressed was completely relevant and helpful, and that I came away with some exponentially useful tips, information, and resources. I can’t wait for the next semester to start so that I can get started – and many of the student leaders at the retreat expressed to me that they feel the same way.

-Rose Schmillen, SFLI Intern

SFLI will be posting video footage of the speakers from this retreat. If you are interested in hearing the speakers, comment on this post or e-mail John-Paul Deddens at johnpaul@prolifeillinois.com.

– John-Paul

“Justice and Life 2010″

Youth Leadership Summit

July 19th and 20th, 2010

Join High School Teens from all over Chicago for this exciting two-day summit!  This summit will allow you to meet other teens who care about respecting life, and will also prepare you to be a leader on pro-life issues at your school and parish.

Click Here for the flyer

Click Here for the Registration form.