Supporters of the Vitae Foundation gathered Thursday at Capitol Plaza Hotel to celebrate 25 years of protecting the lives of generations.
Vitae Foundation, headquartered in Jefferson City, is a national nonprofit organization that uses mass media campaigns to promote its pro-life messages to women facing unplanned pregnancies.
Keynote speaker Elisabeth Hasselbeck, former co-host on "The View" and "Fox & Friends," encouraged the crowd to keep moving forward with Vitae's mission, challenging them to remember three simple rules: lean in, hold up and sling big things.
Hasselbeck shared personal experiences with the audience, noting situations where she could not have made informed decisions if no one had "leaned in" to provide her with fact-based knowledge.
At one point in Hasselbeck's career on "The View," she said, she was asked to speak on abortions.
"I remember being outnumbered by the voices who wanted the facts of life drowned out," Hasselbeck said.
Hasselbeck said she was armed with statistics and credited her success in upholding a pro-life message to Vitae's research, reach and results.
She illustrated the concept of "holding up" through a Bible story that pointed out how strength in the Vitae community helps hold up supporters, health care advocates and patients through their journey of increasing knowledge about pro-life choices.
Hasselbeck attributed Vitae's ability to "sling big things" to the organization's vast amount of fact-based research that reaches pregnancy centers, various institutions, the media and women across the nation.
Vitae founder Carl Landwehr told the crowd they were the heroes, thanking them for taking action when abortion alternatives were not being discussed.
"Vitae helps pregnancy centers to save lives by the thousands and is changing the culture that's driving abortion," Landwehr said.
The highest annual number of abortions reported in Missouri was 21,000 in 1980, Landwehr said. In 2015, that number had decreased to fewer than 7,000.
This year, Vitae's fundraising goal is $50,000, adding an extra 25 percent in celebration of the foundation's 25-year journey. Donors can contribute by calling Vitae at 573-634-4316 or visiting adsforlife.org.
With Vitae's presence in 15 of the top media markets, the organization's messages have a wide reach, including a younger demographic of women who may be researching their options in the event of an unplanned pregnancy, said Stacy Kromer, senior market director for the Vitae Foundation in Central Missouri.
When pregnancy centers have the capabilities to track their own analytics, combined with access to digital marketing and research portals, Kromer said, Vitae is making those pregnancy centers stronger.