Years of Experience Help Grassroots Grow.

Marjorie Higgins wears many hats for NRLC: state organizational development coordinator, bylaws facilitator, and list management specialist, to name just a few. But one of her most rewarding jobs may be den mother to a group of enthusiastic and energetic teenagers each year at the NRL Convention.

These teens help make the complicated logistics of the convention possible while gaining firsthand knowledge of the pro-life movementknowledge they will be able to use in the future as they become the leaders of the fight to protect unborn babies.

Higgins began bringing teens to the convention over 10 years ago. "They unload trucks, move, boxes, make packets, help set up, go shopping for supplies, and much more," Higgins told NRL News. "When they're not on assignment they can go to a workshop of their choice or a general session. They can also see adult leaders up close and have a chance to speak to them."

The exposure to dedicated pro-life activists is invaluable for growing the new generation of right to life stalwarts. "It keeps us in their memory banks," Higgins said. "These kids know what's important, they know why we vote the way we do, and it encourages them to be active in the movement."

Finding ways to help the movement expand and thrive has been a hallmark of Higgins's 23 years with NRLC. Hired in 1985 as the first employee of the State Organizational Development Department, Higgins had previous experience as pro-life volunteer and lobbyist in Virginia and a staffer in the Reagan/Bush reelection campaign.

Her first assignment was to call all 50 state affiliates to find out what their problems were and how the national office could help. "The answer was money," Higgins said. "So (NRLC Executive Director Dr.) David O'Steen came up with an idea to write a fundraising letter that all states could use, to raise money in a way that wouldn't be labor-intensive, could be done on a regular basis, and would help build a base for the future."

This communication and cooperation between the national office and states and chapters has continued to grow since then. A major project spearheaded by national helped the states convert their membership lists into computer databases. "States used to have lists on sticky labels or 3 x 5 cards," Higgins recalls. "We helped ...