CRANSTON - For his confirmation project, 16-year-old Jake Morgan decided that people should wear their faith proudly, especially on their wrists, and in the process, support the pro-life cause.
Morgan's plan was to sell blue plastic wristbands imprinted with the words "Choose Life" and donate all proceeds from their sale to the diocesan Respect Life Office.
When considering the project, Morgan, a parishioner of St. Mark Church, said, "I thought that people could show their faith on their wrists. People could witness to their faith that way."
In January, he conducted the fundraiser at his own parish, but prior to that, he laid the groundwork for success. In advance of the sale, which took place Jan. 20 after Masses at St. Mark's, Morgan wrote a short essay about his up-coming project and placed it in the parish bulletin. He also made sure the sale was announced at Mass a week prior to the event.
On Sunday, Jan. 20, Morgan braved freezing temperatures and set up a table outside the church after every Mass. The project turned into a real family affair because, not only did he obtain the bracelets from his family-operated company, babiesfromheaven.org, but he also recruited his brothers, Sam and Thomas, to help him after Mass. They asked fellow parishioners for a five dollar donation per bracelet, but accepted amounts in any denomination for the pro-life cause.
Before the sale, Morgan's mother, Kathleen, proud of her son's entrepreneurial skills, informed Carol Owens, director of the diocesan Respect Life Office, of her son's fundraising plans. Delighted by the news, Owens invited Morgan to also sell the bracelets at the Annual Diocesan Respect Life Mass, which also took place Jan. 20, but at St. Philip Church in Greenville. Morgan accepted the invitation, and leaving St. Mark's he proceeded to the next parish, where he again set up his table, this time at the reception which followed the Mass.
The response to the bracelets was overwhelming at both parishes, his mother reported. "People received him; people were taken by it," she said.
Morgan admits that he was astonished by people's generosity. "I had a lot of people ask if they could volunteer," he said. "Some people would put money in and not take the wrist band. Some people would put a $20 bill in and take one wrist band. People were really responding to it" (the fundraiser).
On Feb. 11, at St. Mark's, Morgan presented an $800 check to Owens. She said, "It's a very brave thing for this young kid to do. I am very proud that he would do this, especially for this particular cause."
She spoke of the importance of his and other young people getting involved. "It is important to get the youth involved in the pro-life arena because they are our future - our future leaders. They are the ones that are going to carry the torch over the finish line for us."
Owens hopes that Morgan's fundraiser will encourage others to take action. "Jake taking the initiative in this project could open the minds of other young people," she said.
The same weekend Morgan sold his wristbands, thousands of pro-life activists streamed into the nation's capitol to prepare for the annual March for Life. This year's March marked the 34th anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Morgan's bracelets point out the date, with the numbers "19" and "73" surrounding the central "Choose Life" message on the bracelet.
The money Morgan raised will benefit specific ministries within the diocesan Respect Life Office. Some proceeds will go to Project Gabriel, which offers outreach to women and families in crisis pregnancies. The profits will also benefit Rachel's Vineyard Retreats. These retreats are offered twice a year to women and men who have been directly and indirectly affected by abortion. Remaining earnings will go to Bishop Thomas J. Tobin's Human Life Guild.
(This article originally appeared in The Providence Visitor)
