by Charlene Carey
Good afternoon! I am so excited to see all of the young people who came
out to take a stand for life today. It is refreshing to see you, the
youth of America, stand up for the most critical of all issues…. Life.
Preserving the sanctity of human life is something worth fighting for.
Our society’s value for human life shapes every aspect of our existence.
If we are apathetic towards the right to life, from which everything
else flows, why should we bother taking a stand for anything else?
It is my hope that as you all get older that your understanding of the
value of EVERY individual will continue to deepen. I pray that this
value would resonate within you and that you would take an active role
in educating yourself as well as others about life issues. I challenge
all of you to consider what role you can play in creating a culture of
life. Assess your God given talents and abilities. Think about your
interests and your personal goals. Now take all of these and contemplate
how you can be used in the fight for life.
There are many capacities in which you can help: you can donate your
time as a volunteer, you can donate your money and support pro-life
organizations through financial contributions, or you can even consider
working for a pro-life organization full-time as a career. We need the
support of people from all walks of life and professions.
If you go off to college consider these things. When choosing your
major, the groups you become involved with, the classes you take and the
internship experiences you participate in, think about the impact you
can make as an individual in the fight for life. Get involved in a
pro-life group on campus; if there is not one, take the initiative to
start one. If you are able to participate in an internship program,
consider interning for a pro-life organization and when you’re in class,
be a voice for the voiceless.
When you begin contemplating your future plans, consider what you can do
to positively impact this world. Take advantage of EVERY opportunity
that you are presented with. Walk through open doors that are set before
you. You never know where they may lead and who you may be able to
impact.
My tenth grade year in high school, I was asked to give a forty minute
presentation on any subject of my choosing. Not knowing much about
abortion, I decided that this would be an interesting topic to research.
Little did I know how much this one assignment would impact my future
plans. As I began to research abortion, I was astounded by the
atrocities committed in our country, against innocent, unborn children.
I learned about the different methods in which thousands of unborn
children are brutally killed everyday in America. At this time,
something was stirred within me; my heart was broken for the lost lives
of so many created in the very image of God.
I went off to college at Elon University and struggled to figure out
what to pursue after graduation. Over my four years at Elon, my strong
sentiments for the unborn intensified. The spring of my senior year, I
had the opportunity to intern with N.C. Right to Life. I wanted to see
if I could see myself working in the pro-life movement, after I
graduated. During the course of this internship, I spent one day a week
in the office and the other day I spent at the General Assembly with my
supervisor, Barbara Holt, the President of our organization. I learned a
tremendous amount about our political system on the state level and how
we go about getting pro-life legislation passed.
In May, I graduated from Elon and spent the summer in Washington, DC
working as an intern for National Right to Life. After completing my
internship in the departments of Medical Ethics and State Legislature, I
was hired by NC Right to Life and moved to Greensboro in August.
When the NC General Assembly is in session, I spend my time, here in
Raleigh talking with legislators about life issues, encouraging them to
pass pro-life legislation and asking them to oppose legislation that
poses a threat to the sanctity of human life. When they are not in
session, I spend my time attending committee meetings, and making
contacts in the community. I visit schools and churches and talk with
them about ways they can get involved with our organization.
Please contact me if you would like to have a pro-life presentation made
at your school or church. I would love to have the opportunity to come
and talk with your group!
I would also love to speak with anyone who would be willing to be a
legislative contact. I am looking for people, from all over the state of
NC that would be willing to get the word out, within the pro-life
community, concerning pressing issues that come up during the
legislative session.
If you are interested in learning more about the ways that you can get
involved with N.C. Right to Life, please stop by the tables that will be
set up at the end of the march. On one of the tables, there will be a
box containing 4 clipboards with signup sheets on them.
The 1st clipboard is to signup to be contacted about having a pro-life
presentation made to your group.
The 2nd signup is to hear more about being a legislative contact.
The 3rd is if you would like to be contacted about being a church
liaison.
The 4th is if you would like to learn of other volunteer opportunities
within our organization.
In this box, there will also be a binder further explaining these
signups.
I have also included some of my business cards. Please feel free to take
one and contact me if you have further questions.
Again, thank you all for coming out today. I am so encouraged to see
people from all across NC join together in the fight for life!
Mailing address:
North Carolina Right to Life, Inc.
P. O. Box 9282
Greensboro, NC 27429-0282
800-392-6275
