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 The Walk, which has raised about $15,000 each year, set a new
record this year by raising a total of $17,871. The Pregnancy
Resource Center, which benefits from the funds raised by the walk,
has been in Lincoln since 1988. Center director Linda Nelson says
they serve approximately 150 clients a year, providing services such
as pregnancy testing, ultrasound scanning, options counseling,
H.O.P.E. Mentoring Program, parent education, STI/STD Information,
adoption support, and Post-Abortion Healing.
Tony Shuff opened the event with prayer and a welcome to
participants, noting that the Walk assists in saving lives, helping
families, and blessing our community. Shuff also expressed thanks
for the support of the community.
Participants cited various reasons for their participation and
support of the ministry of the pregnancy resource center:
Kim King did an internship at the center several years ago and now
volunteers. She went to Washington D.C. for the March for Life event
years ago and now participates in various community events for the
center.
For Darlene Crider, having a child born on the anniversary of Roe
vs. Wade, points out the necessity of celebrating life.
Carlene Carter, who, with her family, has been participating for
nearly 20 years, asserts that having a child with a disability makes
one appreciate the sanctity of life. Carter also appreciates the
ministry the center provides by helping people with basic needs such
as formula and diapers.
Mary Stone has participated in the walk for several years and likes
knowing that the center helps save lives and that the money raised
will help many clients.
Walk participant Sabrina Parr, who is a mother of five boys, said
she has benefitted from the services offered by the Pregnancy
Resource Center and “appreciates all their helpfulness with baby
clothes, wipes, and diapers.” She also states, “I get some helpful
parenting tips through watching videos [and] the workers provide
good advice.”
Participant Pat Williamson is one of the volunteers at the center
and says, “it is a worthy cause—sometimes we just encourage mothers
in their daily parenting.
Wayne and Pat Knoles have participated for the past couple of years.
They are firmly pro-life and appreciate places like PRC. They said
that hopefully the walk brings more awareness of available
resources. Recently, they were able to tell a young girl about the
help available through the center. The Knoles’ said that the new
mother was not aware of the resources during her pregnancy, and its
services were what she needed during that time.
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Once participants completed the walk, there was worship and singing followed by
a message from Greg Taylor, pastor of First Christian Church of Clinton,
Illinois. Taylor shared a story of Bob and Pam, who were Christian missionaries
to the Philippines. When Pam was pregnant with their first child, she was told
that because she might not survive the pregnancy, abortion was the only option.
Against the advice of her physician, she went ahead with the pregnancy and
months later, a healthy baby boy was born. He went on to become the famous
athlete we know as Tim Tebow. Taylor pondered--how many other Tim Tebows have
been aborted by those who saw abortion as their only option?
Taylor declared that we are called to be unashamedly pro-life and said there is
no "easy button" for an unplanned pregnancy, though some mistakenly see abortion
as an easy solution. Taylor also talked about how he was born in 1969 to a young
unwed mother who chose to give him up for adoption. Noting that he was conceived
before abortion was legalized, he wondered if [the decision] would have been
different if he had been conceived just four and a half years later. He was
raised by a Christian family and has been involved in the ministry for years.
Taylor closed by encouraging everyone to take a stand for life.
After the message, Nelson handed out awards to some notable participants. The
top donor award went to Ben Vogel, who has participated in the walk for many
years and raised over $11,000 this year. The Carol Vogel award went to Deborah
Harvey for her dedication to the work of the center. A final award went to Karen
Ritchert for getting over 90 sponsors and many donations for the silent auction.
Every bit of support is appreciated, for it is through these sponsors,
individual and church financial support, and fundraising events like the Walk
for Life that the Pregnancy Resource Center is able to provide the services they
do.
[Angela Reiners] |
