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Hosting the 31st annual Respect for Life Awards Dinner, the Villanovans for Life (VFL) welcomed nearly 140 people to the Villanova Room on March 21 to celebrate life and the successes of the pro-life movement, both on campus and abroad. Those in attendance included Villanova faculty and administration, professors, students and off-campus community advocates.

Cocktail hour afforded the opportunity for introductions and good conversation. Villanova alumni and members of the original Villanovans for Life, who founded the organization 31 years ago, graced the crowd. The Rev. Edmund J. Dobbin, O.S.A. officially began the evening in prayer by offering the invocation. After enjoying dinner, VFL vice president Michael Nataro introduced the keynote speaker Peg Luksik, founder of the original Mom’s House, a non-profit daycare center dedicated to providing practical alternatives to help families choose life. Instead of focusing on Mom’s House or abortion, however, Luksik centered her talk on the importance of making oneself available to God in every stage of our lives.

Secretary Christina Kochanowski then introduced the recipient of the Respect Life Award, Dr. Lester Ruppersberger, one of the few Natural Family Planning OB/GYNs in the Philadelphia area. Dr. Ruppersberger shared his experience in overcoming personal and professional struggles in maintaining a consistent ethic of being pro-life in his career. VFL president Michael Seibert offered a year-in-review of VFL’s events and accomplishments over the past year and treasurer Laura Ledgerwood thanked those in attendance for their support. After the dinner, Seibert stressed his gratitude for the on-campus support that VFL has received. “We're very grateful to Fr. Dobbin and the Office for Mission Effectiveness for all of their assistance in recent years," he said.

The dinner also raised baby supplies and over $600 in cash for local crisis pregnancy centers Amnion and A Baby’s Breath by selling raffle tickets for a number of donated gifts. Prizes included two season tickets to the 2004-2005 Villanova Theatre, a basket of goodies and coupons from Dining Services, a Villanova basketball signed by the team and coach Jay Wright, Philadelphia Phantoms tickets and a Villanova sweatshirt donated by the University Shop.