40 Days for Life: Praying to end abortion

It was just a $1 bill, but the gift from "Anthony" helps the 40 Days for Life campaign, which offers a Lenten opportunity each year to pray in community for an end to abortion, an organizer said.

"I took the dollar and put it in the cash box for last minute needs," said Ann Marie Bowen, president of Nebraskans United for Life in Omaha, which helps put together efforts to pray in front of abortion clinics in Omaha and Bellevue from March 1, Ash Wednesday, through April 9, Palm Sunday.

"It’s those $1 bills that add up" – as do the prayers against abortion, Bowen said.

The monetary gift from a religious education student in Omaha, whose teacher didn’t include his last name, is a recent example of another way to help the cause – donations to help with mailings and meeting other needs, Bowen said.

Michael Sambol, a member of St. Robert Bellarmine Parish in Omaha and a volunteer who helps with the campaign’s website, said the effort is one way he hopes to make a difference.

"It’s the issue that’s closest to my heart," Sambol said. "I feel called to donate some of my talents and skills. I hope to have some impact and change some hearts."