Students for Life of America launched our Pregnant on Campus Initiative in 2011. Since then, hundreds of Students for Life groups nationwide have committed themselves to lending a hand to student mothers in need. The goal? That no student ever feels hopeless after discovering an unplanned pregnancy.
Since the inception of Pregnant on Campus, we have been completely blown away by the supportive services efforts carried out by pro-life student groups. Whatever a woman feels is her obstacle to choosing life and finishing her education, Students for Life groups have conquered it. In no particular order, here are our favorite Pregnant on Campus stories from 2018!
- St. Louis University Group Gets 67 Pregnant/Parenting Scholarship Applicants
St. Louis University (SLU) Students for Life has established an endowment to provide scholarships to pregnant and parenting students in need of financial aid. Their most recent dispersal of the scholarships served 9 student parents. But after Megan, one of the student leaders of the SLU Students for Life group, went through the legwork of getting this opportunity posted on the general student scholarship page, the number of new applicants jumped to 67! Read more here.
2. Colorado High School Collects Enough Diapers to Cover a Small City 
Regis Jesuit Students for Life in Aurora, Colorado has a fun autumn tradition – they launch a school-wide initiative to collect diapers for local families in need. In November 2017, they collected 40,313 diapers.
This year, they shattered that record by collecting 43,051 diapers! That’s enough to cover a small city! Read more here.
3. Ball State Students for Life Achieves Major Victory for Pregnant Students
Ball State Students for Life achieved a major victory recently by working with Ball State Student Government Association to implement new expectant mother parking permits for the 2018-2019 school year. The new legislation will allow pregnant mothers to park closer to academic buildings on campus, according to Nora Hopf, the president of Ball State Students for Life during the 2017-2018 school year and a recent graduate. Hopf worked alongside SGA to ensure the new policy was implemented. Read more here.
4. Liberty University’s Lifeline Group Changes School Dorm Policy
After Liberty University’s pro-life group, Lifeline, contacted their school’s administration, Liberty University decided to change their dorm policy to allow pregnant and parenting students to stay in dorms or be automatically approved to live off-campus. After a year of advocating for pregnant and parenting students, the pro-life group got word from the Dean of Students that the school’s policy would now be more inclusive. Watch the story below!
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yUL2fxkXgM[/youtube]
5. Two Texas Students for Life Groups Raise Over $38,000 To Help Student Mothers
When we imagine fundraising efforts initiated by a student group, we typically think of a few hundred dollars to buy textbooks or baby items (an incredibly helpful endeavor, we might add). But in true Texas fashion, the Pro-Life Aggies at Texas A&M University took it a step further. Over the course of a school year, they raised over $38,000 for scholarships for 15 pregnant and parenting students on their campus. This group worked tirelessly to make a life-changing difference for these women. The key to their success was a 5K they named “Run for Their Lives.” The race was hugely lucrative, as well as heartwarming when the group ended the event by awarding the scholarships to the women in person. They also raised additional funds by speaking at their local churches and putting ads in their church bulletins. Read more here. See Cassie’s (University of Texas) below:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqtQ4dgw-d4[/youtube]
6. University of Wyoming Pro-Life Group Gets Diaper Decks on Campus
The Students for Life at UW achieved a big victory this year by encouraging their school to install diaper decks in the campus bathrooms. Having these places to take care of babies on campus is just one more supportive service to have in place that conveys a message to student mothers that their needs matter. Way to go!
7. Six Denver Area Schools Began Marketing Partnerships with Local Pregnancy Centers
As part of our Abortion Free Denver project, five different colleges/universities (and one high school) have entered into marketing partnerships with their local PRCs. These partnerships are a match made in heaven as they allow Students for Life groups to be the bridge between pregnancy centers and students facing unplanned pregnancies. These groups are actively making an effort to be the first place pregnant students turn to – instead of Denver’s abortion facilities.
8. Colorado University-Boulder Had a Baby Save
Abbey is the VP of the Students for Life group at University of Colorado – Boulder. She is passionate about helping women in crisis and their preborn children. Her post (at right) is why we do what we do!
9. Mama Helped at The Ohio State University
Students for Life at Ohio State received an email on the morning of October 24th from the mother of a student who is facing an unexpected pregnancy. The student chose life for her baby! The president of their group, Megan, helped divide up tasks to best help the mother. They worked together to get Option Line resources, called their health centers on campus to see what is offered for her, researched the policies regarding pregnancy in the dorms, reached out to their Newman Center and other religious ministries, looked up parenting support groups, and took time at their next meeting to make cards for the pregnant student!
