The March for Life Chicago is coming to a city near you! Join us in Madison, Omaha, Ft. Wayne, Mundelein, Indianapolis, or Chicago for a safe and strong rally for life.
Each tour stop will be unique, but here’s what you can expect:
Purchase diapers to donate to our massive diaper drive, get a sign from your caravan leader or make your own, and prepare to rally for life!
Travel with a caravan (find one here if you don’t have one) or on your own by car to the tour stop.
Gather with pro-lifers throughout the region for a powerful rally with inspiring speakers and a chance to donate your diapers to local pregnancy resource centers. (Find out more about what a drive-in rally will look like here)
Publicly witness for life in the city through a car procession or march!
Return home and witness to life and support moms and their babies throughout 2021!
Find Your Stop!
Chicago, IL | January 23 | 1:00 PM
Location: Downtown Chicago
Type of Event: Car Procession Rally!
Diaper Drive to benefit: Southside Pregnancy Center, the Women's Center of Greater Chicagoland, and other local Pregnancy Resource Centers
Details:
Nine years ago when a hundred and fifty people walked at the March for Life Chicago, it was hard to imagine that we'd grow to thousands of people flooding the streets and echoing off the skyscrapers. We're bringing that same passion as we bring our cars this year and raise our signs and our voices in downtown Chicago.
We can't wait for so many people to see this large, visible, support for Life!
Here's how it works:
Before: Decorate your car with pro-life signs, purchase diapers to donate to our massive diaper drive, and decide whether you are going to drive with your household or by Caravan.
January 23
Check-in, 12 p.m.: St. John Cantius Church on the Northside: Check-in, receive any signs or swag you ordered, and line up to begin the car procession.
Car Rally Procession, 1 p.m.: The rally and procession begins! You'll listen to the rally as you drive.
We'll make our way through downtown, past key city, state, and federal buildings, making our voices known by our presence.
Procession End and Diaper Drop-off, 2:30 p.m.: Southside Pregnancy Center: At the end point of the procession, you'll have an opportunity to support babies and their parents by donating diapers to local pregnancy resource centers.
Chicago Speakers
Pastor Mark Jobe
President, Moody Bible Institute
Senior and Founding Pastor of New Life Community Church
Mary FioRito, J.D.
Cardinal Francis George Fellow at the Ethics & Public Policy Center
Dan Lipinski
Former Congressman Dan Lipinski grew up in the “bungalow belt” near Midway Airport in Chicago and represented Illinois’ Third District in the U.S. House for sixteen years. He has engineering degrees from Northwestern University and Stanford University and earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from Duke University. Before he was elected to Congress in 2004, he taught American Government, including at the University of Notre Dame.
Dan Lipinski distinguished himself in Congress as a champion of the middle class and earned a reputation as a legislator who brings people together to solve problems. He authored numerous laws on transportation, research and technological innovation, the promotion of American manufacturing, restoring fiscal responsibility, and honoring America’s veterans and seniors. He was co-chair of the House Pro-Life Caucus and the lead Democratic co-sponsor of numerous pieces of pro-life legislation including the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and the Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act.
Dan and his wife, Judy, reside in Western Springs, IL.
Dr. Christina Francis
Dr. Christina Francis is a board-certified OB/GYN who currently works in Fort Wayne, IN as an OB/GYN Hospitalist. Dr. Francis completed medical school at Indiana University in 2005 and completed her OB/GYN residency at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana in 2009. She is Chair of the Board of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists and board member of Indiana Right to Life.
As a pro-life speaker, Dr. Francis offers her medical expertise, knowledge of bioethics, and pro-life reasoning both here in the U.S and around the globe. She has always had a passion for human rights, spending a significant portion of the past 10 years in various countries working tirelessly on behalf of women and children.
Dr. Francis spent time working with orphans in Romania and Burma, discussing the importance of life issues with university students in Israel, and working for three years as the only OB/GYN at a mission hospital in rural Kenya. Dr. Francis left Kenya in 2014 to work on behalf of women and children in her home state and beyond who are often victims of the abortion industry, and to educate people on the greatest social injustice of our time.
Margaret Pluta
Margaret Pluta is a 21 year old from Rockford, IL. She is one of 5 children and honored to be a part of the pro-life movement. Currently a senior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), she is studying psychology & law, with plans to attend law school to become an adoption lawyer. She is also a member of weDignify’s chapter at UIUC.
Tori Peterson
Tori Hope Petersen was conceived out of rape, eventually placed into the foster care system, and resided in several homes before she emancipated. She overcame sadding statistics by becoming a five-time track and field State Champion in Ohio, and placing her hope in Jesus Christ. At Hillsdale College, she became an All-American track and field athlete, while majoring in Christian Studies. Now, Tori is a national speaker and author sharing her story to inspire others to care for the most vulnerable and live a life for Jesus. She believes what was used to harm her, can be used for Good. Tori is the founder and executive director of Bring Beloved, a nonprofit that empowers abused, neglected, and abandoned youth to redemptively use the worst parts of their stories to raise awareness and help others. Bring Beloved also offers suffering youth mentorship and leadership opportunities. Tori is married to Jacob Petersen, and is the biological mom to her toddler-son, Leyonder, newborn-daughter, Ezzeri, and soon-to-be adopted, young adult son Sar.
Robert Gilligan
Bob was named Executive Director in 2003, after serving as Associate Director for six years. He also is a past president of the National Association of State Catholic Conference Directors. He previously worked as chief of legislative services for the Arizona Department of Economic Security and at the political consulting firm of Jamieson and Guiterrez in Phoenix, AZ. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Marquette University and a master’s degree from Arizona State University.
Indianapolis, IN | January 22 | 12:00 pM (Eastern)
12 p.m. Car Procession starting at St. John the Evangelist Church
1 p.m. Drive-in Rally at St. Elizabeth Seton Church
Diaper Drive to benefit Life Center, the Women’s Care Center, and Birthline
Indianapolis Speakers
Kevin Grillot
Kevin Grillot is the weDignify Executive Director, who oversees the March for Life Chicago and an innovator in evangelization and leadership formation in the pro-life movement. As Executive Director, he leads weDignify in transforming college students into skilled, virtuous pro-life leaders. Mr. Grillot has mentored hundreds and served thousands to change hearts and minds on campus.Additionally, weDignify oversees the March for Life Chicago, in collaboration with many. In the last 8 years, the march has grown from 150 to 9,000 people.Mr. Grillot received a B.A. from Saint Louis University, a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University, and a Green Belt in Six Sigma business methodology at Caterpillar, Inc. He attended the inaugural Vita Institute at the University of Notre Dame.
Attorney General Todd Rokita
Emily Stumpo
Emily is Students for Life of America’s (SFLA) Regional Coordinator for Michigan and Indiana, where she helps student groups become effective ambassadors for the pro-life position, create pro-life community for like-minded students on their campuses, and most importantly, advocate for women and children on their campuses so that together, the pro-life movement can show our school communities and the nation at large how the Pro-Life Generation is standing for the dignity and value of every human being, pre-born and born.
Braedon Eckert
Braedon was placed in foster care at a young age and experienced abuse and neglect and separation from family until he was adopted at 19 months.
He now works as an advocate for foster care and adoption reform and shares his story as a testimony to the excuse that “foster kids are better off dead than stuck in the system.”
He has been blessed incredibly this year to have reunited with his biological family before his biological parents passed.
Marc Tuttle
President, Right to Life of Indianapolis
Margaret Pluta
Margaret Pluta is a 21 year old from Rockford, IL. She is one of 5 children and honored to be a part of the pro-life movement. Currently a senior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), she is studying psychology & law, with plans to attend law school to become an adoption lawyer. She is also a member of weDignify’s chapter at UIUC.
Mundelein, IL | January 17
Diaper Drive to benefit Aid for Women
Fort Wayne, IN |January 16
Diaper Drive to benefit Compassion Pregnancy Center, Life and Family Services, A Mother's Hope, A Hope Center, and The Hope Clinic
Omaha, NE|January 10
Diaper Drive benefits the Pregnancy Centers of Grand Island Diocese, Birthright of Norfolk, EPS (Essential Pregnancy Services), and Assure Women’s Center
MADISON |January 2
Diaper Drive benefits Women’s Care Center, Care Net, & Pregnancy Helpline
COVID Precautions
Every year, we seek to create a safe and family-friend pro-life event. This year especially, we are taking every precaution to ensure healthy Moving the Movement tour events that adhere to civil guidelines regarding best practices to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
In turn, we ask that you join us in promoting a safe experience for all by:
Wearing a mask when outside of your vehicle or talking to someone through an open car window.
Staying at home if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. If you have tested positive for COVID-19 or experienced symptoms within 14 days of the event, we ask that you stay home and participate by livestream via our Facebook page OR, if you are attending a car rally event, stay within your car and avoid contact.
Follow COVID-19 safety guidance. This particularly includes social distancing if you are meeting with a caravan beforehand, but also any interactions at the rallies themselves.
This year’s tour was designed to bring the March for Life Chicago to you in the safest way possible. Thank you for joining us in making these events both healthy and strong!