Tips for First-Time March for Life Participants

The 44^th annual March for Life is right around the corner, and we are hearing that lots of first-time marchers will be joining us this year! Below are a few tips to make sure you’re ready.

See you on January 27th!

1. Be prepared for cold weather!
   • Check the weather forecast before you’ll leave, but bring your warmest winter coat, no matter what!
   • Wear layers – you can add or remove depending on the temperature.
   • Bring hot hands for pockets, gloves, or boots.
   • Definitely bring gloves and hats, and wear comfortable, water-proof shoes.
2. Stay connected with your group members.
   • The crowds are very large, so try and stay physically connected to your group as much as possible.
   • Make sure everyone has at least one leader’s cell phone number.
   • Give everyone a map – you can print off paper copies OR download the March for Life app.
   • Inform everyone of time and meeting place after the march is finished.
3. Know your transportation options.
   • Again, if you’re with a large group, make sure everyone is informed.
   • If you’re traveling with a small group, we recommend using public transportation.
   • Buy your metro cards ahead of time, and know the stations you are using.
4. Bring signs!
   • Be creative, and let the world know why we march!
   • Even if you forget or can’t bring signs, many groups will have signs to hand out on the National Mall.
5. Get ready to document your experience!
   • It’s important to show “why we march” – beforehand, post pictures, messages of why you will be marching for life with #whywemarch.
   • With the technology and social media options we have, every marcher can be a “citizen journalist.”
   • During the event, post pictures and videos of the crowd with #whywemarch & #marchforlife.
   • Facebook Live is a great way to showcase the March for Life to your network– use this before, during, and after to document your experience and show and tell the world, #WhyWeMarch.
   • See all your posts at WhyWeMarch.org.
   • Consider wearing gloves that have screen sensitive finger tips!
   • Bring an extra battery charger for your devices!

     

6. Attend the March for Life Expo
   • Visit the March for Life expo before or after the rally and march – this is a great way to get connected to pro-life organizations and ministries so that you can stay involved in the pro-life movement all year round.
   • You can get your #WhyWeMarch picture taken at the March for Life photo booth!
7. Stay connected with the March for Life
   • Sign up for text message alerts so you can get important, late-breaking information: Text MARCH4LIFE to 99-000.
   • Sign up for March for Life emails for information before and after the event.
   • Download the March for Life app for maps, schedule, speaker bios, etc.
   • Follow the March for Life on social media.
     • Facebook: TheMarchforLife
     • Twitter: @March_for_Life
     • Instagram @marchforlife
     • Snapchat (themarchforlife)

The March for Life is an incredibly important opportunity for pro-life Americans from all across the country to come together and be a unified voice for a culture of life. We hope you will join us!

As you make your final preparations for your March for Life trip, be sure to include a visit to the March for Life expo in your schedule.

Guest post by Alexandra Kilgore

I was born with a disability, Multiple Pterigium Syndrome. It is so rare that my specialist, top-tier doctors often know far less about it than I do. It’s so rare that I wasn’t even officially diagnosed until I was 10- that’s how flabbergasted the medical community was that I was alive. It’s so rare that until I was 11, I had never even heard of, much less met, a single other soul that has this same condition. Throughout my life, well-meaning doctors have tried to gently inform my parents that I wouldn’t live through the night, the day, the week, the year. They were convinced that I’d never walk, talk, or have the intellectual ability of my peers. It was plain to see that there were some who were frankly surprised my mother did not terminate her pregnancy. Yet here I stand-stand, after several reconstructive surgeries!- almost age 18, a senior in high school taking AP classes with over a 4.0 GPA, singing and dancing in my school’s

Throughout my life, well-meaning doctors have tried to gently inform my parents that I wouldn’t live through the night, the day, the week, the year. They were convinced that I’d never walk, talk, or have the intellectual ability of my peers. It was plain to see that there were some who were frankly surprised my mother did not terminate her pregnancy. Yet here I stand-stand, after several reconstructive surgeries!- almost age 18, a senior in high school taking AP classes with over a 4.0 GPA, singing and dancing in my school’s

Yet here I stand-stand, after several reconstructive surgeries!- almost age 18, a senior in high school taking AP classes with over a 4.0 GPA, singing and dancing in my school’s theater productions, running and winning a senatorial campaign to attend ALA Girls Nation, and living out Christ’s miracles every day.

The fact of the matter is that people are reluctant to admit that abortion is a disability issue. We don’t like the ugly reality that some babies are aborted because their lives are considered less full because of a disability. We cringe from the truth that many are reluctant to embrace people with disabilities and don’t see our value. Mothers are understandably terrified by grim odds and scary prenatal diagnoses and feel that they have no options. But a life is no less worthy just because it is not necessarily healthy. It is my hope that women choose to place the lives of their babies in God’s hands and to choose life. Not perfect life. Not glossy magazine life.

It is my hope that women choose to place the lives of their babies in God’s hands and to choose life. Not perfect life. Not glossy magazine life. Life that is wacky and amazing and challenging and absolutely no less wonderful for it. Looking at all my medical complications, surgeries, and hospital stays on paper is bleak. But a diagnosis can never capture someone’s ambition, love, courage, and zest. This is the true Power of One- just one person who can say, “I did it. I believe you can do it, too.”

Pro-life Americans came out in huge crowds at various cities across the country to proclaim that life matters!

*hover over the picture to read the caption.

The March for Life is two weeks from today!

In case you missed our Facebook Live announcement, we’re excited to have a fantastic line-up of speakers at the 2017 March for Life:

• Kellyanne Conway, Senior Counselor to President-elect Trump.
• Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York City.
• Benjamin Watson, Tight End for the Baltimore Ravens.
• Abby Johnson, Former Planned Parenthood Director and founder of “And Then There Were None”.
• Karyme Lozano, Mexican telenovela star.
• Eric Metaxas, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author and host of The Eric Metaxas Show.
• Bishop Vincent Mathews Jr., President at Church of God In Christ World Missions.
• And more to be announced!

Information on speakers and more details on the 44th annual March for Life can be found HERE. The rally will start at noon at the Washington Monument followed by the March at 1:00 p.m.

We also have two reminders for you:

1) The registration deadline for the March for Life Conference and Youth Rally (1/26) and Rose Dinner (1/27) is Friday, January 20th. For information on these events, check out the March for Life 2017 website.

2) Sign up for March for Life text message alerts so you can receive instant updates and late-breaking information about the March for Life. Text MFL2017 to 99-000 to receive these alerts.

In one week we will have a new President, and in exactly two weeks we will be marching for life – what incredible opportunities for the pro-life movement!

This is our time to come together and make our voices heard. We march because each and every person can change the course of our future. #WhyWeMarch