Home / News & Publications / Michigan Catholic News / 2010 / Local siblings rally together at march
Local siblings rally together at march
by Jared Field of The Michigan Catholic
Published January 29, 2010
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Michigan youth from the Christian Life youth group in Bloomfield Hills join in the March for Life Jan. 22 in Washington, D.C.. |
DETROIT – Danielle Center saw firsthand the lives that were changed, and she wanted to be a part of it.
Center, 22, was a sophomore in high school when some of her friends took a trip to Washington D.C. to participate in the annual March for Life. "They came back inspired to do great things for life," said Danielle, an administrative assistant in the Archdiocese of Detroit's Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministries office. "I wanted to go too, so I went."
She attended the march as a junior in high school and hasn't missed a year since.
"It was hard (the first time), riding on a bus for 11 hours and sleeping on the floor; but, it was an incredible experience," said Danielle, a member of St. Vincent Ferrer in Madison Heights. "It made me a better person."
As it turned out, her experiences as a teen compelled her to want to make a difference as an adult. She started a pro-life club at University of Michigan in Dearborn when she was a student there and, she says, many of the students who attended the march in high school have done the same at schools across the country.
"They've all become very active in the movement," she said. "You go for the march but you come back for the people."
This year, Center re-joined her old youth group, Christian Life, a group affiliated with The Legionnaires of Christ, as a chaperone for the march. She was joined by her brothers, David, 24, and Paul, 20.
David said that the spirit among the more than 100,000 people who marched on the nation's capital was as spirited as ever.
"I think it was very youthful and determined; I think there's a lot of hope and drive to accomplish great things in the fight for life," said David, who also attends St. Vincent Ferrer. "I think that our generation, the issue of life and the unborn, is even more vital and real because of the efforts of those who came before us to make us aware. This is the fruit of their work."
Danielle said that the march is a symbol of what can be accomplished through a diverse, broad-based movement with a unifying goal.
"Each of us can do our part in the movement with the talents and gifts we're given," she said. "They all add up to a beautiful big picture for the defense life."
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