Gov. Jindal signs "Signs of Hope Act" in Monroe! See below for report on Joshua Leadership institute 2011!
Greetings!
Yesterday evening, Governor Jindal signed the "Signs of Hope Act" into law! The ceremony was held at First Baptist Church in West Monroe, the home of the bill's author, Rep. Frank Hoffman. I was fortunate enough to be present and speak alongside the Governor about the importance of this legislation.
A number of memorable things were said at the event, but Gov. Jindal coined the headline of the Monroe News-Star by saying, "Creating a 
culture of life is more than just words." Jindal also reminded the crowd that though the Signs of Hope Act is an important step forward, the work of life is not complete. We could not agree more! While we are delighted at the passage of this legislation, we will not tire until liberty and justice is given to all, both born and unborn.
For a Pro-Life Louisiana,
-- Benjamin Clapper, LARTL Executive Director
See the Article from the Monroe News-StarP.S. Check out the 2011 JLI Report below from Kacie, our Youth Programs Director!!
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Leaders Formed at Joshua Leadership Institute 2011!
Students change hearts at LSU outreach; Participate in mock hearing at Capitol
Joshua Leadership Institute 2011 (held last week) was a week packed with amazing speakers, awesome hands on training, and great new friends united to work to build a culture of life!
35 high school and college students and 10 young adult staff members gathered in Baton Rouge for a week of intensive training to be leaders in the pro-life movement.
The week kicked off with training from Justice for All (JFA). The JFA team of Steve Wagner, John Wagner, and Rebecca Hashke gave students thorough pro-life apologetics training and taught students how to role play in order to learn to effectively dialogue about 
abortion and life issues.
After classroom training, the students ventured out to LSU to conduct surveys on opinions about abortion and to have a polling table in LSU's Free Speech Alley. Taking their "seat work" in the classroom to "feet work" on LSU's campus, the students were able to conduct 178 surveys and dialogue with students on LSU's campus to change hearts and minds about abortion.
"The Justice for All training was so incredible
because it gave me the confidence to actually
speak to others about abortion and know the right things to say," said Kandace Landreneau of
Shreveport, LA.
The JFA training was just the beginning of JLI! Students were trained by Students for Life of America, based in Washington, D.C., in pro-life campus activism. Later in the week, students were educated on end of life issues, visited a nursing home, and learned from Bobby Schindler, the brother of Terri Shiavo, why his sister Terri's life still matters.
"I was blown away by Bobby Schindler's story and his work, and I am now inspired to work for a greater respect for those like Terri in our society", said Anthony Fabio, a JLI Staff member.
At the end of the week, students had the opportunity to meet with Senator Jonathan Perry (second picture to right) from District 26 and learn about pro-life leadership. At the meeting with Senator Perry in a Senate Committee room at the Louisiana Capitol, JLI students each gave a speech titled "Why I'm Pro-Life."
Cody Murphy of Houma exclaimed, "Being able to state my views about life issues at the State Capitol was an invaluable experience that I will always remember!"
At the end of the week, a Commissioning Ceremony and Luncheon was held for the students and their parents, and each JLI participant received a horn to remind them to be like Joshua of the Old Testament and lead the charge to bring down the walls of the culture of death.
You can see more photos at the Louisiana Right to Life Shutterfly website!
A BIG thanks to the Knights of Columbus for helping us sponsor JLI and to the staff members for their hard work and dedication.
We can't wait for our 2012 dates for Camp Joshua and the Joshua Leadership Institute! See dates below!
---- Kacie Hampton, Youth Programs Director
2012 Camp Joshua Dates:
Ruston: February 24-26, 2012
Lake Charles: March 2-4, 2012
Baton Rouge #1: March 16-18, 2012
Baton Rouge #2: April 13-15, 2012
Joshua Leadership Institute: July 15 -19, 2012
