Happy Fall!
This is my favorite time of the year. I love the changing colors, the cooler temperatures, and the excitement of fall sports . . . Go Chiefs!
Fall brings a lot of changes, and most are ones we look forward to like getting back to school (at least for parents!), fall festivals, even nights outside around the firepit. In contrast, we’ve been inundated with change over the past two months, much of it causing major disruptions in our lives. It has certainly has been a time filled with challenges. On the brighter side, we’ve seen some historic advances toward building a culture that respects every life God sends into the world.
Like you, Vitae is dedicated to strengthening that value. In fact, our mission statement is “ . . . to encourage a Culture of Life through research-based messaging.”
From Vitae’s beginning, our founder Carl Landwehr realized that to effectively communicate the life value, changing hearts and minds, we had to better understand our audience. Thus, our first Right Brain research study was launched, uncovering the underlying dynamics that influence a woman’s abortion decision. Building on that foundation, we continued working with Dr. Charles Kenny and engaged in six more Right Brain studies. We’ve also conducted polling, focus groups, online projects, and are now using virtual reality to build a wealth of knowledge that we are sharing with our Pro-Life peers.
We recently traveled to San Antonio, Texas, to attend Care Net’s (a national affiliation for Pregnancy Help Centers) annual conference. It was a wonderful opportunity to share our work and to learn the additional research needs of our peers. In fact, we were overwhelmed with requests for additional research. They need more research on adoption, chemical abortion, sex trafficking, and how to reach men, just to name a few. These groups know that Vitae can provide what they need . . . not just the research findings, but equally important, the best way to apply it to messaging and delivery.
We are living in exciting and challenging times. There is potential for huge change in the Pro-Life landscape, and you can help us take advantage of the opportunities that God is laying before us. Your prayers and financial support ensure that your values are being shared today, not just through Vitae, but also through all of the other Pro-Life organizations that we serve.
We have recently revamped our Legacy Giving program, and I hope you will take a few moments to read the article about those opportunities on page 6. As important as your support is today, we have a long battle ahead of us. Legacy gifts help continue the fight to protect the sanctity and dignity of every life.
As we enter the last months of 2021, the season of giving, may the Lord bless each of you for your generous gifts of prayer, financial support, and for sharing the Vitae mission with others. I hope you find some time to sit back, relax and enjoy the natural beauty God provides each fall.
Debbie Stokes