Summer 2001
Right to Life
Pro-Life Council
Visalia, CA 93278
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Summer 2001
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| Tulare-Kings Right to Life |
Chapter of California Pro-Life Council |
Post Office Box 3531 Visalia, CA 93278 |
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 "Humor Therapist"Dr. Lee Ezell to Speak at Banquet Tuesday, September 18th, 7:00 pm "Humor therapist" Lee Ezell has an entertaining speaking style that both amuses and informs audiences. With a background in musical comedy, Lee enjoys blending humor with truth, and should make this year's banquet lively, full of fun, common sense and spiritual sensitivity. Dr. Lee Ezell has come a long way since her beginnings as a child of alcoholic parents raised in Philadelphia's inner city. Her heart is full of understanding that bad things do happen to good people, and she continues to encourage others through their life's struggles. Lee is perhaps most well known for the subject of her book entitled The Missing Piece (her life story), which attracted much media attention. Lee's "missing piece" is her daughter, Julie, who was the result of Lee being raped as a teenager. Given up for adoption, Julie and Lee have been reunited, and their reunion has been the subject of numerous magazine and newspaper articles, and television appearances on shows such as "The Sally Show," "Geraldo" and "Donahue." Dr. Ezell is a much sought after speaker for pro-life events, conventions, churches and schools. She has written seven books which have been translated into thirteen different languages, opening the door for a speaking itinerary that wraps around the world. Lee lives in Newport Beach, California, where she is Director of Ezell Communications. Join us for a night of great food, inspiration and fun with Dr. Lee Ezell. She's sure to light a fire in your heart! Greetings from the Executive Director As I look back on the last few weeks, I am almost breathless at the level of activity that we have experienced recently. Literally thousands of people have been exposed to the pro-life message, from the MissionFest, to displays at Sequoia Mall, to our radio ads on Q97. My very favorite experience of the last few weeks, however, has been a presentation to a COS Political Science class on Saturday, May 19th. What a rare opportunity it was to stand before a group of people who probably have never before had the pro-life message communicated to them in a rational, reasoned manner. Even the teacher seemed a bit surprised that there really was a factual reason to be pro-life, and that there are good arguments to support our position. The majority of the American public only knows about the issue (and about us) what the pro-abortion media and entertainment industry wants them to know. That is why it is so important that we take our message directly to the people, that we reach as many people as we can with the truth about "choice" and its effects on our families and nation. One of the ways we do that each year is through our Annual Making a Difference for Life Fundraising Banquet in September. We encourage all of you to help us spread the word further by sponsoring a table and bringing friends who may be conflicted or undecided about abortion or other life issues. Our speaker this year, Lee Ezell, will be addressing the very "hard case" circumstance that is a stumbling block for most people ~ the violence of rape, and what to do with the child that results from that tragedy. I have personally had people come to me after the banquet to let me know that our speaker had moved them off the fence about abortion. That can happen with your friends or family, as well. The food is great, the atmosphere is non-confrontational, the program is non-threatening, and hearts are changed. Be thinking about whose heart you can help change and invite them now to join you at our Banquet on Tuesday, September 18that the Visalia Convention Center. Someone's life may depend upon it.
Over 3,000 mothers in the Tulare & Kings counties area were honored with beautiful cymbidium orchid corsages on Mother's Day this year. We hope you were one of those who got to enjoy these foral beauties, either by wearing or seeing them. As with all or of our undertakings, nothing can be accomplished by one person, and so we would like to acknowledge our Corsage Chairperson, Pat Boon, along with her hard-working crew of volunteers who prepared our corsages for distribution: Heather Beers, Aida Boim, Kristina Boon, Alisa Boon, Anna Haak, June Kreiss, Abby Lambert, Christopher Lambert, Hannah Lambert, Lorraine Mullen, Irene Perry, Becky Randall, Lea Rouse, Jeremiah Stephens, Alyssa Stephens, and Dallas Veyette. Special thanks go to Joe & Agnes Dias and Annette Machado for corsage transportation; and we extend appreciation to all of our committed Contact Persons and the following churches who participated in our Mother's Day Corsage Event:
Friends of TKRL Celebration
  
Fetal Development Pictures
Thanks to a gift of picture frames last year from First Baptist Church in Visalia, coordination and creativity by Dallas Veyette, Color Consultation by Carrie Bragg, and the gracious donation of picture framing by Master Picture Framer, John Garner, we now have a beautiful display of Fetal Development pictures that have received extensive use since their arrival in January. They truly make an impressive presentation of the humanity of the unborn child and attract the eye of young and old alike. We are grateful for all the work and donations that went into the development and realization of our new traveling display.
After having been picked from the lottery of 13,000 applicants to ride in the RAGBRAI, Darrel and Mary decided to use their love of cycling to beneft another of their passions ~ the pro-life movement. Hoping to raise at least $5,000.00for Tulare-Kings Right to LifeWatermans are using their 500-mile ride to "cycle for life" and have sent out letters to friends, relatives and business associates asking for their support in this effort. We are thrilled that someone would be motivated enough to initiate such an undertaking for our benefit and will be watching their progress on the ride with great interest. You can also keep up with their daily progress on the ride from July22-28 by visiting www.ragbrai.com and clicking on "Virtual RAGBRAI." If you know Darrel and Mary, or would like to support their effort, you may send a check made out to TKRL to Darrel and Mary Waterman, 3109S. Jacob, Visalia, CA 93277.
What a wonderful spring day we had for this year's WALK FOR LIFE! Over350 pro-lifers turned out to enjoy the day, celebrate life and publicly stand up, once again, and denounce abortion. In case you could not stay for the grand total, this year we have over $46,000 in pledges! Amazing! Father Scott Daugherty, of Porterville, won the Grand Prize Cruise, with over $4,500.00, Peter Tiemersma, of Visalia, came in second, with $2,285.00, and Henry Brower, from Lindsay, raised $1,985.00 for a third place finish. This year, over 2300sponsors supported our Walkers, who came from 54 different churches in Tulare & Kings counties! If your sponsors have not received their notice yet, please alert us. We have had some complaints of our mail being mysteriously lost. Thanks to your incredible efforts, we can continue our Post Abortion radio announcements (on Q97), renew our television campaign and continue to have a presence at local events, such as the Festival de la Raza, MissionFest and Sequoia Mall's Non-Profit Days. Upcoming events will be the Kings and Tulare County Fair booths and then, of course, the Banquet. By the way, let us know if you would like to volunteer a few hours at a booth. Volunteering this way can be very rewarding and help us spread the pro-life message. Call April at 732-5000 for details. We would like to thank our Corporate Sponsors "The Cruise Experts, M & B Classic Finish, and Machado Hay Co." for their encouraging support. Thank you, as well, to the all the Walkers for their tremendous efforts on behalf of those who are unable to speak up for themselves! Pro-Life Commitment A Pro-Life Victory Long-time pro-lifers are aware that for nearly a decade, Target, formerly owned by Dayton-Hudson, has been on the pro-life boycott lists for its support of Planned Parenthood. We'd like to share with you that we recently received great news. There has been some restructuring of the company, and they no longer fund Planned Parenthood. They have met all the criteria and have been taken off the boycott lists. Stores formerly owned by Dayton-Hudson, and now owned by the Target Corporation, are Target, Dayton's, Hudson"s, Mervyn"s & Marshall Field's. There are many factors that lead a corporation to stop funding Planned Parenthood. While one event or action may put a corporation "over the top," the philanthropic change would not have occurred without the work of many pro-life groups and individuals. This is a long and hard-fought victory for the pro-lifers in this country. For more information on corporate funding of Planned Parenthood and a list of other corporations that remain targets of a pro-life boycott, contact Life Decisions International at 202/347-2066 or www.fightpp.org. The Truth About Human Embryology Research The June 20, 1994 American Medical News provided a powerful, no-nonsense reply to the question of human embryo research. It cited C. Ward Kischer, Ph.D., professor, Department of Anatomy, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson: "It is an undeniable truth that the embryo is as much a human being as an adult. This is so because from the moment of initial contact of the sperm and ovum, all development to birth is committed and is afait accompli. Every point in time impart of a continuum. Therefore, every point in development derives its significance from the previous point. Scientific "spin doctors" have invented and promoted such bogus biology as "pre-embryo" and "stages of individuality," and have duped many physicians who know little about human embryology. Many of them are now using this pseudo-science to justify human embryo experimentation. The Nuremberg trials settled this question conclusively. "One would think our societal evolution would yield to our common sense and intelligence and tend to be more linear than circular." The American Feminist Fall 1994
"Advise termination of pregnancy" Upon entering the hospital, we told the medical personnel that she may be pregnant, to ensure that they would take all the needed precautions. The pregnancy was soon confirmed. The neurologist, who was treating the seizures, called in an obstetrician to handle the pregnancy. It was during this transition that the words, "advise termination of pregnancy," came to our attention. Because of the seizures and the large doses of medicine my wife would have to take, there would be much greater chances of birth defects than usual. The obstetrician never got the opportunity to give the "advice." Our decision had been made long before the problem faced us personally. This was a child inside her womb and was to be treated with all the respect and care that a human being could possibly receive. Life was a gift from God, and it was not to be disposed of just because it may not be perfect. We would face whatever might come. As we expressed our views, the doctor listened silently. The nurse standing beside him began to cry. Later, she told us that she had never heard anyone talk like that, with so much respect for an unborn child. So, we began the months of facing the possibility that things might not be just right for the new addition to our family. The seizures were now under control, but things seemed different in this pregnancy. A month before the due date, we were informed that something was different --something that occurs in about one in a hundred pregnancies. It was news that put me into a temporary state of shock. What was it? Simply this ~ our new addition was double. We were going to have twins! On October 9, 1980, Robin, 7 lb.9 oz., and Robert, 7 lb. 8 oz., were born. That's 15 lb. 1 oz. of perfectly healthy babies! Robin and Robert are now 20 years old. Even with all the trauma of rearing four children to adulthood in today's society, I am still glad we didn't follow that medical advice. The gift of life is too precious to throw away. [Editor's note. This essay first appeared in the January 18 edition of The Times, the daily newspaper of Shreveport, Louisiana.]
E-Mail Action Alerts We would like to be able to communicate with you via E-mail. This is a much faster and economical way to get information distributed than through standard mail If you would like to be included on our E-Mail Action Alert list, sign up at our website, tkrl.org, or give us a call at 732-5000. |
Mother's Day Corsages
What's a Ragbrai?