On June 1st, Texas Right to Life kicked off its third annual “Generation Now” Scholarship Program summer training. Since 2008, TRTL has awarded scholarships to college students dedicated to promoting a culture of Life at their universities. This year, twelve students were given scholarships and for the first time, the program was extended to two students attending universities outside of Texas. Students from the first and second year of the program gathered at the University of St. Thomas in Houston to further their knowledge of the Pro-Life movement and prepare themselves for another year of fighting for Life on their college campuses. The new class of “Generation Now” scholars joined them on Sunday, June 6th to begin their training.
The intensive week of training gave the students an opportunity to hear from numerous figures in the Pro-Life movement on topics such as the history of Texas Right to Life, presenting adoption as an option, counseling post-abortive men and women, end-of-Life issues, organ donation, treating people with Down Syndrome, the black genocide, abortifacients, public speaking, marketing with a purpose, Planned Parenthood, stem cell research, and the state's Pro-Life legislative agenda. The scholars were also given opportunities for professional development seminars on the importance of setting goals, time management, and recruiting volunteers. The returning classes shared their experiences and challenges with the new class of scholars. The scholars created a calendar for the fall semester and left the training prepared to actively combat the culture of death on their campuses.
The students volunteered at Life House, a home for women facing unplanned pregnancies; they visited with residents at a nursing home for Alzheimer patients; they took a tour of the Holocaust Museum and saw the parallels of a culture that does not embrace the dignity of the person; they went to the 5th Ward Pregnancy Resource Center; they volunteered at the Houston Coalition for Life “Walk for Life,” and prayed at Planned Parenthood. The students were also treated by Guido and Naoko Costantini to a trip on their yacht and went horse-back riding at Tom and Cheryl Carter's ranch. The scholars enjoyed a dinner with Texas Right to Life donors at Maggiano's.
Texas Right to Life is confident that these “Generation Now” scholars are prepared make an impact at their universities and on the Pro-Life movement. As one speaker commended the students, “They are intelligent, loving, genuinely interested, humble, and I am convinced that they will work long and hard in defense of the vulnerable and innocent in our midst.”