One Rose, One Life

January 13, 2012

For more than 30 years, the Knights of Columbus in Nebraska has sponsored an annual fundraising project known as One Rose One Life. Conducted on or around the anniversary of Roe v Wade (Jan. 22), this project takes its name from the paper roses that were handed out by the Knights as part of this project.

Several years ago, the Knights replaced the paper roses with a prayer card. In addition to a pro-life prayer, this prayer card features a winning poster from the Knights-sponsored pro-life poster contest for students in Kindergarten through the sixth grade.

According to the Knights, an impressive 94 percent of all the funds raised go to support various pro-life organizations and activities in Nebraska. My office, since its inception 21 years ago, is a major beneficiary of these funds. And, in the last four years, more than 50 other pro-life organizations, events and initiatives throughout Nebraska have received funding from One Rose One Life.

These recipients include numerous pregnancy-help centers, Lincoln Right to Life, MavCatholics Students for Life (UNO), Pope Paul VI Institute, McCook Right to Life, St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center (UNL), Thomas More Society, and pro-life billboards throughout Nebraska.

In addition, the Knights have provided significant funding to the Virtue Media pro-life television ad campaign each of the three times my office has sponsored it in Nebraska.

One of the special projects that the Knights have funded recently is the purchase of a 4-D ultrasound machine for the Collage Center, a pregnancy-help center in Kearney. The positive results of this new machine are extraordinary.

According to the Collage Center, many lives have been saved because of the ultrasound machine. In fact, the Center has found that 90 percent of abortion-prone women who have an ultrasound decide against abortion.

The Knights intend to build on the success of the Collage Center by purchasing two more ultrasound machines for pregnancy centers. One will be for Essential Pregnancy Services in Omaha and a second one for the Women’s Resource Center in North Platte.

There are no formal pro-life collections conducted by the Church. Consequently, the Knights’ One Rose One Life project provides an excellent opportunity to donate to not only the Church’s pro-life efforts, but many pro-life efforts outside the Church as well.

There are two ways that Catholics can give. First and foremost, if you attend Mass at a parish where a Knights of Columbus council is present, check with your parish KC Council for the dates when they will be conducting One Rose, One Life.

If your parish does not have a Knights Council, it can still participate by requesting and distributing donation envelopes in the parish. Bob and Anita Finger, the state pro-life chaircouple for the Knights can assist by contacting them at bob.finger.kofc@gmail.com.

A second way to donate to One Rose One Life is to simply write a check payable to: Knights of Columbus Pro-Life Foundation of Nebraska and send it to: Knights of Columbus, One Rose One Life Campaign, PO Box 451157, Omaha, NE 68145. Please put One Rose, One Life on the memo line. The Knights of Columbus Pro-Life Foundation of Nebraska is a 501(c)3 charitable organization.

On behalf of all the recipients of the Knights’ pro-life funding, I encourage you to be as generous as possible toward One Rose One Life.