It’s National Volunteer Month! (Part 2)
It’s National Volunteer Month! Throughout the month of April, we’ll be highlighting some of our great volunteers from around the state, and sharing how you can connect with the pro-life grassroots network in your community.
This week, we’re featuring 3 volunteers who helped start Wisconsin Right to Life chapters in their communities – Kim from Green Lake, and Don and Mary from Jefferson.
_______________________________________________________
Kim H.
Green Lake County Chapter
Kim describes herself as a ‘get-er-done’ kind of person, and she carries this attitude into every facet of her life. Between working 40 hours a week, babysitting her young granddaughter, and being a member of the Rotary Club and Council of Catholic Women, she made time to organize and cultivate a new Wisconsin Right to Life chapter in Green Lake County – they just celebrated their first anniversary in March.
Kim’s passion for the pro-life movement began when she was in high school, around the time that ‘Roe V. Wade’ was decided. “Already then, there were girls that were going down in carloads to Madison or Milwaukee and getting abortions. It drove me nuts. It was my generation that kind of let it go. If I can do anything now to rectify it, better late than never. I wish I had been louder.”
In their first year, members of the Green Lake County chapter gave over $1,000 to local pregnancy care centers, hosted a pro-life walk in their community, organized an item drive for an Oshkosh women’s center, sponsored a local family for Christmas, and more! “The money came in and went right back out into the community,” said Kim. She credits the success of the chapter to her hardworking and service-minded members – “The women in the group are amazing. They’re always there to help each other and desire to help others. For me, it’s service. What can I do? I want to be of service.”
Green Lake County Right to Life is always adding to their team! Want to learn more? Email Matt Peeters, our Wisconsin Right to Life – Region 3 Coordinator, at mpeeters@wrtl.org.
_______________________________________________________
Don & Mary A.
Jefferson/Walworth County Chapter
Don and Mary became chapter members of Wisconsin Right to Life in 1976, just three years after ‘Roe V. Wade’ was decided and abortion became legal in the United States. Mary recalls, “After attending a women’s meeting at church presented by a pro-life doctor from Janesville, and sticking around to ask questions, his sister (a member of our parish) got me involved right away. She came to visit me the next day and soon I was working with her at the Right to Life booth at the Rock County Fair. . . We have been active in WRTL ever since.”
As members of the Wisconsin Right to Life Jefferson/Walworth County Chapter, Don and Mary have helped organize and staff Mother’s Day Rose Sales and local parades. They have participated in many Marches for Life, and visit their state legislators concerning pro-life legislation. One of their favorite things to do is interacting with passersby at Wisconsin Right to Life fair booths, and challenging them to think about the pro-life movement as broader than just being anti-abortion.
Mary says, “We can always use more volunteers and there are many areas where you can help. One thing I have found is that newcomers are impressed that WRTL has been around for over fifty years now. It tells new volunteers that we are a persevering people and have weathered many storms and will not stop until the lives of all people are respected and protected.”
Want to learn more about the Jefferson/Walworth County Chapter? Send them an email at jcwcrtl@gmail.com or attend their monthly meetings on the 3rd Monday of every month at 6:30pm, located at their office: 144 W. Garland Street, Jefferson, WI 53549.
_______________________________________________________
Interested in joining Wisconsin Right to Life’s Better Together Volunteer Corps? Please fill out the Volunteer Interest Form, or register to attend the Better Together Volunteer Training Luncheon on Saturday, June 12th!
