Thank you for the abundant outpouring of support and prayers as we continue to grieve the losses of our dear friends Jon and Kortney and Kortney’s pre-born baby, Sophy. We are still working to rebuild our hearts and our team, but we are more motivated than ever to press on in the fight to protect the lives of the pre-born on college campuses across the nation.
For those who were able to join us in prayer as we honored the lives of Kortney and Sophy last Friday in Matthews, North Carolina, we thank you for grieving alongside us. For those who were not able to attend and would like to offer words of encouragement and support to Kortney’s family, we invite you to attend a memorial service this Saturday, October 22nd, for Kortney and Sophy at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church on 2381 Cedar Lane Road, Vienna, Virginia. The service will be held from 2:00 – 5:00pm, and all are welcome to attend. If you would like to see a copy of Kortney’s honor in newspapers from across the country, you can do that here.
If you are not able to travel to Virginia for the service, we invite you to listen to a recording of our national webcast that took place last Monday, October 10. Troy Newman of Operation Rescue, David Bereit of 40 Days for Life, Claude Allen of the Gerard Health Foundation, and Reverend Pat Mahoney of Christian Defense Coalition led us in an hour of prayer and discussion to honor the lives of Kortney and Sophy and to offer prayers and support for Jon and his family. You can find that webcast here.
For those interested in attending a memorial service for Jon, his family will be receiving visitors at a viewing from 2:00 – 4:00pm and 7:00 – 9:00pm this Friday, October 21st, at Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home in Warwick, New York at 17 Oakland Avenue. Again, all are welcome to offer condolences and words of encouragement to Jon’s family.
Our entire team at Students for Life is not only overwhelmed by the losses of our very precious friends and three beautiful advocates for life – Sophy has already made an appearance inside the United States Capitol building – but also by the love, encouragement, and abundance of prayers we have received from our supporters across the globe. We have no words to express how thankful we are for your outpouring over these last 12 days, and we are confident that the grace and strength we have received will renew our spirits and allow us to carry on in the fight for Life with an even greater strength.
We also encourage those who are not able to offer their respects to the Scharfenberger family but would like to donate to Jon’s burial costs to do so here. We were able to offer financial support to both the Blythe and Gordon families because of the abundance of selfless support we received from our supporters, and again, we have no words fitting enough to thank you.
For Jon and Kortney, for baby Sophy, for the Scharfenberger, Blythe and Gordon families, and for our students nationwide, I remain strongly, for life.
