Minutes

October 14, 2008

1. Opening Remarks…………………………………………………………….Kevin Grillot

   1. Kevin will be studying abroad next semester, External Vice President Sarah Pingel will be taking over as President

2. Old Business

   1. Respect Life Week

      1. “Crescendo” …………………………………………...Kevin Grillot

         • Great job to everyone who helped make the event a success!

      2. Service Day..…………………………………………..Tom Chlebeck

         • Our Lady’s Inn, St. Charles

           • members worked on staining a fence to weather-proof it, only got 10-20% done

           • there is still lots of work to do, we will try to get Our Lady’s Inn as our location for Make a Difference Day

         • Our Lady’s Inn, St Louis

           • played with the kids, cleaned

         • Thrive pregnancy resource center, on Lindell

           • raked leaves

      3. Life Chain………………………………………member participants

         • Members were surprised at the number of positive responses to the silent protest

2. T-shirts...…………………………………………………...Matt Von Rueden

   1. There are several SFL T-shirts left if you would still like to purchase one

   2. If you got a T-shirt and still need to pay, contact Matt at mvonrue1@slu.edu

3. Almost Home……………………………………………………Sarah Pingel

   1. Last Wednesday, members visited this home for homeless teenage girls and their children

   2. The girls can stay for two years, they take classes and get on their feet

   3. Almost Home is interested in having some SFL members come and volunteer to spend time with the moms and the kids, maybe baking cookies

   4. Contact Sarah at sarah.pingel@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering

3. New Business

   1. Scholarship……………………………………………………….Brian Reilly

      1. Fall Break will be a great time for you to ask family members and friends to donate to the Pregnant and Parenting Student Assistance Scholarship fund

      2. We need to “get the ball rolling” if the scholarship is to become a reality!

      3. If you raise over $250 over fall break, your name will be entered in a drawing for prizes!

      4. Papers with tips for fundraising and a tally sheet to keep track of donations collected were passed out at the meeting. They are attached to the e-mail sent out with these Minutes.

      5. Under “Payment Type” on the tally sheet:

         • Credit Card: easiest if someone wants to donate in increments (such as the $99 full-term plan, $11 per month for 9 months), use the Pledge Card in the pamphlet handed out at the meeting. If you need pamphlets, contact sflscholarship@gmail.com.

         • Check: address to Students for Life, write Scholarship on memo line

         • Cash

         • Online: direct them to http://pages.slu.edu/org/sfl/

2. Chaifetz Concessions………………………………………….Kelly O’Shea

   1. First Men’s Basketball game is Nov 5^th at 7pm, volunteers arrive at 4pm, we could do two shifts, 4-8pm and 8-11pm

   2. Carrie Underwood, Friday, Dec 5^th

   3. Contact Kelly at koshea21@slu.edu if you can help out!

3. “Heartbeat” Writer Volunteers……………………………...Katrina Becker

   1. Looking for writers for the November issue of the “Heartbeat” newsletter

   2. Possible topics include Chaifetz concessions, a RLW experience such as volunteering at Our Lady’s Inn, pro-life news article, article about Scholarship fundraising

   3. Articles should be about 1/3 to ½ page, single-spaced, e-mail to Katrina by Oct 25^th

   4. Contact Katrina at kbecke10@slu.edu if you would like to write on one of the article topics above; or if you have your own topic or would like to be assigned one, that is fine, too.

4. Make a Difference Day…………………………………Colleen Corcoran

   1. Our group is signed up

   2. If you would like to participate, or if you are going and can volunteer to drive, contact Colleen at ccorcor3@slu.edu

5. Forest Park Hayride………………………………………Matt Von Rueden

   1. Just for fun!

   2. $100 per wagon for 20 people, $5 per person if we can fill a wagon

   3. 45min ride, ending at a bonfire where we can stay and roast marshmallows

   4. Looking at Saturday, Nov 14^th

   5. Sign-ups will be at a future meeting

4. Open Forum

   1. Pro-life Election Issues…………………………………..Dr. David Murphy

      1. Dr. Murphy spoke about things that must be considered when choosing a candidate

      2. The following are points from his talk:

         • Abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and euthanasia are intrinsically evil—always must be opposed

         • Other issues (healthcare, economy, war and peace, education, etc) are not intrinsically evil—good people who have formed their consciences may differ on these issues; all these issues rolled together do not add up to the importance of opposing the intrinsically evil issues

         • Issues of capital punishment and war—not intrinsically evil, but must be avoided whenever possible; done only to protect innocent lives

         • “Seamless garment”- we must follow a consistent ethic of life in all life issues, in accordance with the distinctions made above

         • The Conference of Catholic Bishops Statement that Dr. Murphy referred to may be found at www.faithfulcitizenship.org/

2. Member of the Week………………………………………….Kevin Grillot

   1. Mary Cooper for her work with Respect Life Week, especially “Crescendo,” and for writing an article on “Crescendo” for the October issue of “Heartbeat”

5. Opportunities

   1. Pro-life Speaker at Wash U…………………………………...Sarah Pingel

      1. Sponsored by Law Students for Life at the Wash U law school

      2. Mary Meehan - Why Roe Must Go: A Liberal Case Against Roe v. Wade

      3. October 27^th, 12-1pm, Washington University School of Law, Anheuser-Busch Hall, Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom (No. 310)

2. Sidewalk Counseling Training or Seminar…………...Sarah Schumacher

   1. Training: This Thursday, October 16^th, 6:00-8:30pm, Cardinal Rigali Center in Shrewsbury, Lally Room

      • You will be coached on how to sidewalk counsel

      • Pizza will be provided

   2. Seminar: This Saturday, October 18^th, 10:30am – noon, Boland Hall, Cathedral Basilica School, next to the St. Louis Cathedral Basilica

      • You will learn about how to talk to abortion-minded people in your daily life and about effective sidewalk counseling techniques

   3. Registration is free, RSVP to the Respect Life Apostolate (314-792-7555 or prolife@archstl.org).

   4. Contact Sarah at schumasn@slu.edu if you would like the informational flier e-mailed to you

3. L’Arche Halloween Party.………………………………...Kathleen Neuner

   1. Join SLU students and friends of L’Arche for goodies, music, dancing and Halloween Fun!

   2. October 28^th, from 6:30- 8:30, BSC room173

   3. L’Arche communities are family-like homes where people with and without disabilities share their lives together.  Currently, friends of L’Arche are working to establish a community in St. Louis.

   4. Attend the Halloween Party to learn more about L’Arche, or contact Kathleen at neunerk@slu.edu

6. Adjournment

“A nation that kills its own children, is a nation without hope.”

~Pope John Paul II