Friday is National Sanctity of Human Life Day, and the following day, one Wyoming organization with volunteer and donor ties to a local pregnancy center is set to celebrate life with an in-person March for Life.
Although the national March for Life in Washington, DC will be a virtual event this year due to COVID-19 and the unrest within that city, the community of Casper, Wyoming, will experience a procession of pro-life people walking through town. The Natrona County March for Life is co-hosted by Natrona4Life and the local Knights of Columbus.
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Natrona4Life is comprised of a small group of people from the communities of Casper and Douglas. Although located 50 miles apart, several residents of both towns collaborate to promote pro-life issues and stances, including assisting Casper’s True Care Women’s Resource Center, a pregnancy medical center with nearly 35 years of serving women from both communities who face unplanned pregnancies.
On Saturday, January 23, Natrona4Life will partner with the Casper Knights of Columbus for the 4th annual march, said Alexis Helenbolt, Natrona4Life leader and co-organizer of the event.
“It’s a celebration – we’re here for the moms and their unborn,” she said.
Tweet This: “It’s a celebration – we’re here for the moms and their unborn” - co-organizer of the Natrona County, WY, March for Life
State Representative Chuck Gray will be one of the featured speakers for this year’s event, she added.
The march, which begins at 9:30 a.m., starts at City Park and continues through downtown Casper. Participants will be asked to social distance, Helenbolt said.
Wyoming weather in January can be snowy and cold, as expected, and that was the case last year. However, despite the snow, wind, and chilly temperatures, more than 100 people showed up, Helenbolt said.
“It was awesome! A great success,” she said.
The Knights of Columbus also assisted with the 2020 event.
“We teamed up with them last year, and they’ve stepped up to help again this year,” Helenbolt said. “They’ve been a huge help to me, including getting the speakers.”
In addition to the outdoor march through town, people will gather at St. Anthony’s Church afterward to listen to Representative Gray and others. Social distancing will be practiced there as well.
Helping to spread the pro-life message
The goal of Natrona4Life is to help spread the pro-life message. Four years ago, the organization held the first Natrona County March for Life.
In early 2020, the organization helped provide materials for True Care to distribute to patients by asking supporters to purchase helpful essentials for moms. Items such as diapers, baby monitors, clothing, and more were purchased for the center to give to patients.
Helenbolt, who joined the organization two years ago, is strongly pro-life.
Alexis Helenbolt
An elementary school teacher in Douglas, she also serves as a volunteer for True Care. As an advocate, she meets one-on-one with patients, walking them through their options and working closely with staff nurses to provide encouragement and resources. She is also an ambassador for Live Action, and she attended the national March in Washington, DC last year.
“I was to be a voice for the voiceless,” she said. “We need to show the humanity of the unborn.”
Although she hasn’t served at True Care directly since the pandemic began last year, she said she looks forward to returning to her volunteer duties after the school year ends this spring.
Helenbolt’s children participated in the last year’s Natrona March for Life; she was pregnant with her third child at the time. This year, all three boys will march alongside their mother.
“I was carrying (her third son) last year, and this year, he will take part in the event,” she said. “He will be raised a pro-life man.”
