Georgia Right to Life (GRTL) recently honored Mike and Dottie Patterson for their many contributions to the pro-life movement in Georgia.

Parishioners of St. Mary’s Church in Jackson, the Pattersons are the leaders of the Butts, Jasper and Lamar Counties Chapter of GRTL. Together with other like-minded people in these counties, they have raised over $55,000 during the past five years to proclaim the sanctity of life in the Atlanta area.

Mr. Patterson is passionate about “the babies” and works tirelessly to educate others in his chapter about abortion and to raise money for R.E.A.C.H. (Raising Educational Awareness Changing Hearts).

On March 10, GRTL honored the Pattersons for their service and R.E.A.C.H. fundraising efforts, which have included church presentations, commemorative cards and an annual golf tournament. At the state board meeting, Caryl Swift, president of GRTL, was pleased to present Mike Patterson with a plaque.

“Mike is personally a tremendous asset to our organization and to the advancement of the sanctity of life in Georgia,” Swift said. “He has sacrificed precious time and energies to serve as a chapter leader of GRTL.”

One of Mike’s chapter members praised him, by saying, “This man eats and breathes the right to life issues. He is the glue that binds us together. He is a humble man, but he’s very out-spoken when it comes to pro-life issues.”

The first R.E.A.C.H. Project campaign was initiated in 2001, with television ads providing information about alternatives to abortion for women as well as a message to change pro-choice believers to acceptance of a pro-life position. These ads are tagged with 1-800-395-HELP, the number created by national organization Option Line, which connects the callers to the nearest pregnancy center.

The R.E.A.C.H. Project has since expanded to include a statewide Google campaign and Yellow Pages in the top 18 abortion markets. The ads are non-confrontational and non-judgmental designed to change hearts and minds on abortion.

GRTL is currently in the seventh annual campaign with outstanding results. Consistently the pregnancy centers in the metro-Atlanta market are ranked in the top nationwide for the most calls to Option Line, which serves over 2,000 pregnancy centers. There are approximately 3,000 centers in the nation.

Georgia Right to Life is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization of diverse and caring people united to engage in actions that will restore respect and effective legal protection for all human beings from the moment of fertilization until natural death.