Abstinence Organization Accomplished Great Goals in 2003
by Paul Nowak
LifeNews.com Staff Writer
January 8, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The Abstinence Clearinghouse accomplished much in 2003, serving the pro-abstinence community by ministering to individuals as well as organizations, speakers and agencies.
"The growth of the abstinence community in the past few years has been phenomenal, said Leslee Unruh, President and Founder of the Abstinence Clearinghouse. "As the largest abstinence organization in the world, it has been our privilege to assist that growth.”
In an email to supporters, the group reported that over 12,000 phone calls were answered, 73 e-mail updates, Media Alerts or Legislative Alerts were sent to over 6,500 abstinence advocates. The nonprofit collected several Purity Banners from around the country, each bearing more than 1,200 signatures of teens and young adults pledging to remain sexually pure until marriage.
In addition, the Clearinghouse has been very active in the public eye, giving 105 interviews to national and local media programs, and over 260 media referrals given to affiliates. A few of those media outlets were the Associated Press, Focus on the Family, The Rush Limbaugh Show, Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s Radio Show, The View, Russian National Television, BBC, Cosmo Girl Magazine, and even The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Comedy Central.
The Abstinence Clearinghouse also hosts the only International Abstinence Leadership Conference, hosted in 2003 in Las Vegas, NV.
Over 1,000 advocates gathered to network there, according to Unruh. The conference attendees at one point gathered on the infamous Strip to pass out thousands of "Good Girl Cards" in contrast to the promiscuity cards usually found on the streets of Las Vegas. The event caught the attention of at least 75 Newspapers and 35 local TV news stations across the country.
The group was an outspoken voice at training conferences nationwide, including the United States Agency for International Development Technical Consultation Conference on AIDS Orphans and Vulnerable Children.
The Abstinence Clearinghouse was invited to Washington, DC to work for passage of the abstinence for Africa in the Global AIDS Initiative, as well as the signing of the Global AIDS bill by President Bush.
The organization’s Truth 4 Youth educator training events, parent education nights and school assemblies in Los Angeles, CA and Boston, MA, as well as its program presented in 40 South Dakota schools have reached thousands of parents, teens and young adults directly. They also facilitate a court-appointed Community Service Volunteer Program to mentor teens and young people.
The group maintains three web sites in its ministry, https://www.abstinence.net, a comprehensive information site that covers all aspects of abstinence; https://www.truth4youth.com, a site designed for youth and educators with message boards as well as other abstinence information; and https://www.abstinenceAfrica.org, a site designed to service the needs of the African organizations fighting AIDS by promoting abstinence.
Not content to rest on their laurels, the Abstinence Clearinghouse is geared up for another productive year in 2004.
"I am excited to see what the future holds," said Unruh.
