The next time you waste a dollar, remember how far it will go to save a life. “A dollar for life” goodwill message is fast catching on an gaining support for the pro-life cause.
A group of people in Toronto who spearheaded a Pro-Life Symposium in August to help Canadian delegates to Beijing, started by requesting friends to give a dollar a month for the pro-life cause. They thought it would be powerful to have the pro-life supporters all across Canada pool together their one dollar a month to support the movement. A few have decided to give twelve dollare for the whole year.
It is their grand dream to have millions of pro-life supporters across Canada give a dollar a month. Their first request for support from relatives and friends filled their envelopes with a little over a hundred dollars. That was enough encouragement. They hope that other interested individuals will start it in their orn circles.
With the great number of people out of work or undergoing economic difficulties, many could not issue regular cheques to the pro-life cause. Thus the idea was proposed so that a broader base could give support, including low-income workers, housewives, students, retirees. They realize that administrative expenses, mailing, telephone/fax expenses use up a great part of the budget of the pro-life groups and they thought that the funds raised from this Dollar for Life initiative can be of help.
Anyone can start this effort among their friends, relatives, groups, parishes. Bernadetts Cheng from Toronto and Ampy Benoza and Esther Chan fromMississauga are gradually filling small envelopes with the dollar coins. Each dollar is an expression of hope. Each dollar is an expession of solidarity with fellow pro-life supporters. Each dollar strenghens the movement and makes it move forward, they believe.
They stress that every small effort can support the pro-life cause. Every person can make a difference. They have been mulling ways on how to give further support.
One of them shared a successful campaign many years ago in her home country in which the most popular movie star then who was also a recording artist was requested by a Rotary Chapter to record a song that was played in major supermarkets. After the song was her plea for shoppers to give the loose coins from their shopping to a fund for the National Mental Hospital.
The campaign raised about 40 thousand pesos towards the renovations project of the hospital and the purchase of important equipment. The project was entitled ”Mamera kay Nora” (translated in English from Tagalog, “one penny for Nora (the moviestar).
