October 6, 2011
Contact: Ruth Yorston
614.445.8508
ruth.gcrtl@gmail.com
Greater Columbus Right to Life Awards the 2011 Defender of Life at Tailgate for Life Banquet with Chris Spielman
(Columbus, OH) Greater Columbus Right to Life will present the 2011 Defender of Life Award at their Tailgate for Life with keynote speaker Chris Spielman on Tuesday, October 18, 6:30 PM at St. Andrew Church, 1899 McCoy Rd., Columbus, OH.
“I am inspired by how much volunteers give of themselves,” said GCRTL executive director Ruth Yorston. “They get up early and stay up late, show up in the cold, the heat, the rain and the snow, and they challenge themselves to go the extra mile to help someone going through an extremely difficult time in their lives. Volunteers give beyond measure.”
The three finalists, Sara Cleveland, Lorraine Curtin and Kim Hayes, together have volunteered for more than 60 years with local pro-life organizations.
Sara Cleveland has been strongly pro-life since age 10 when she met saline-abortion survivor Gianna Jessen. Cleveland volunteers with several local pro-life organizations, advocating for women, families and their preborn children on the public sidewalks of local abortion centers, educating college students about abortion and human development before birth, and actively
supporting life-affirming legislation at the Ohio Statehouse. “She is the kind of person you look at and wonder how she does it all, and she does it with a smile and enthusiasm,” said Darius Hardwick, Regional Director of the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform.
Lorraine Curtin has volunteered with Pregnancy Decision Health Centers since 2001. She has counseled abortion-minded women and their families at one of PDHC’s pregnancy resource centers, answered calls and counseled woman who call their hotline, and mentors other PDHC volunteers. “Lorraine has a special heart that is filled with compassion for those we serve,” said Julie Moore, PDHC’s Director of Caring Services.
Kim Hayes has volunteered with Pregnancy Decision Health centers for 21 years. She began volunteering in a client care office in 1990, but most of her volunteer time has been as a hotline consultant, taking calls through the night and offering help to women in crisis pregnancies. JoAnn Newman, PDHC’s Care Connection Manager said, “Kim has simply heard God calling her to work at the Pregnancy Decision Health Centers. In the beginning it was out of her comfort zone, but with the help and support of her family and God, she has helped so many young women with some of the hardest decisions of their lives.”
Registration is still open for GCRTL’s October 18 Tailgate for Life. The VIP reception with Chris Spielman begins at 5:30, the dinner and program follow at 6:30. Information and registration is available online at www.gcrtl.org/tailgate-for-life.html.