Written by Sammie Gallo, Creator and Founder of Abundant Life: You Were Made for More
Friends, are you entering summer and wondering what you can do to support life?! We’ve hand picked some activities for you!
For many students, summer can often be a time of boredom and wasting away your hours, maybe more so on social media or in front of screens than they’re used to, just due to an abundance of time and being off from school. Wouldn’t it be a shame if the months went by without pursuing a passion — more specifically, your passion for the pro-life movement? After all, the battle to end abortion and protect life (all life, from womb to tomb!) doesn’t get a summer break. Whatever your summer schedule looks like, we have several ways for students to stay involved in the mission and stand up for life.
STUDENTS FOR LIFE OPPORTUNITIES
A wonderful way to spread the supportive pro-life message within your community is through connecting with the Campaign for Abortion Free Cities (AFC). They serve our neighbors by going door-to-door with a wagon of free parenting and women’s care products made available to anyone who could use the supplies. It’s a fun way to show our communities that we truly care about everyone’s needs, including women, families, and preborn children – and it’s sure to be appreciated in this economy.
See locations and find a city near you, or, if there isn’t a chapter created around you, make one yourself!
PARTICIPATE IN YOUR CHURCHES BABY BOTTLE CAMPAIGN
The idea behind Baby Bottle Campaigns is to change lives with spare change. It is a simple, yet powerful way to support women and families facing unplanned pregnancies. By filling a baby bottle with change, cash, or checks—or donating online—you help provide free, life-affirming services to those in need.
How It Works
- Pick Up a Bottle at your church, business, or event
- Fill It with coins, bills, or checks
- Return the bottle
- Make a Difference—every penny counts!
BIBLE VERSE COLORING // DROP OFF TO PREGNANCY CENTERS
This is a favorite of my family’s! We print out online coloring pages of bible verses (from google images) and my kids color them and sign them. I write a small, generalized message that could apply to any woman facing an unplanned pregnancy that may show up at a pregnancy center, and we clip the two together. We deliver them to a local pregnancy center to pass out to any clients they may think would benefit from a message of hope. This is a simple way to incorporate Scripture memorization into a family activity this summer AND serve your community for life.
LEMONADE STANDS FOR LIFE
I will be doing this one with my kiddos, too – I invite you to join me! We actually are combining this idea with our church’s Baby Bottle Campaign, hosting a lemonade stand in our neighborhood to raise awareness for the pro-life moment and then donating the proceeds to our church’s baby bottle campaign that benefits a local pregnancy center. This is a great, easy, and fun way for a neighborhood to rally together for life and a phenomenal way to start conversations, show kids what it looks like to practically advocate, and hand over the reins on an activity that promotes independence – they can do most of the legwork! Make signs, make lemonade, advertise, invite people. It’s an amazing way to connect responsibility, purpose, and calling for kiddos of all ages.
MOVIES FOR A RAINY DAY
This summer, there are likely to be rainy days where you and your kids won’t know how to spend them! A summer movie opportunity might pop up, and it’s great to be prepared for when it does. Anglicans for Life (AFL) has curated a list of movies that promote Life-Affirming values (abortion, adoption, and other life topics with options for all ages)! Watch the movies at a youth event, as a family, or with your church group this summer and send us questions you may have, conversations the movies brought up, or even let us know what you are planning and we’d love to be of assistance!
An example of the content from the website can be seen below.
You never know; you could start a new national movement or method of outreach with your innovative activities and projects. Either way, you’ll be making a difference for life, showing that all life has dignity and value, and that is something to be proud of.
If you do any of these activities this summer and the Lord blesses you through them, we’d love to hear about them. Message us on social media or email us at abundantlifeym@gmail.com and share how the Lord has propelled you and led you this summer!
Sammie graduated from Robert Morris University in 2017 with a background in biology and psychology and started working with Anglicans for Life (AFL) in 2017. In addition to her work with AFL, she spent 3 years going into public schools with the Women’s Choice Network, speaking to high schoolers about healthy relationships and sex education. She has a passion for making sure every teenager, parent, and youth leader is equipped, engaged, and encouraged to have Gospel-centered conversations regarding relationships, sexuality, and life issues.
Sammie married her best friend, Juan Gallo, in May 2019. During her free time, she and her husband invest in teenagers and young adults in their community, and disciple their kids – Ofelia, Leo, Catalina, and Milo. Sammie is also a Registered Nurse (RN).