Pro-life group rises above storms

When a January blizzard prevented Pope John XXIII Central Catholic High School’s pro-life group from going to the March for Life in Washington, D.C., no one would have guessed the storm was the beginning of a new pro-life billboard about a mile north of Elgin.

In the process, the Elgin students learned lessons about making the best of a bad situation.

Since the students couldn’t go to Washington because of the weather, they held a retreat, reflecting on their role in protecting life. And when they tried to return donations intended for the Washington trip, the students were told by Knights of Columbus Council 2411 at St. Boniface Parish in Elgin to keep its donation and turn it to the pro-life cause.

That led to a billboard along Highway 14, which was destroyed last year by a Christmas Day storm. Using money from the Knights and other resources, the group replaced the billboard with another right to life message: "Every Life Deserves a Lifetime."