The Virginia Society for Human Life, the nation’s oldest statewide pro-life organization, will commemorate its 35^th anniversary with an anniversary gala on Friday evening, October 4, 2002. Our guest speaker will be the nationally known author, professor and humorist, Ben Stein.

The event will be held at the Richmond Omni Hotel, 100 South 12th St. in downtown Richmond, adjacent to historic Shockoe Slip. There will be a reception beginning at 6:30 pm followed by dinner at 7:30 pm. (Note: These times have been updated from those printed in the Lifesaver.) All VSHL members, friends and supporters are invited to join us for this special evening. Dress is “black tie optional.”

The program will recognize the significant contributions VSHL has made to the pro-life cause over the past 35 years. It will be an inspiring and motivating event to propel VSHL into our next decade of pro-life work, as well as an opportunity for VSHL to raise the funding necessary to lay the groundwork for our activities in support of all human life for this period.

Ben Stein may be the most outspoken pro-life figure in Hollywood. He writes frequently on pro-life issues in various forums, including as a regular diarist for The American Spectator. He has been the master of ceremonies for the past three Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinners held by National Right to Life at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. He was also the closing banquet speaker at the 1998 NRLC Convention in Orlando.

Mr. Stein is well known for his character in the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, for a long running part in the series The Wonder Years, and for over two dozen movies and dozens of TV shows and commercials. He hosts the Comedy Central Emmy Award winning show, Win Ben Stein’s Money, which airs regularly.

Mr. Stein is a graduate of Columbia College and Yale Law School where he studied Constitutional Law under Robert Bork. He has served as an economist for the Dept. of Commerce, a trial lawyer for the Federal Trade Commission, and a university professor at the University of California at Santa Cruz, the American University, and Pepperdine University. A native of Washington, DC, he currently lives in Beverly Hills, CA, with his wife, Alexandra, and son, Tommy.

Don’t miss this fantastic evening. Individual tickets are $100 each. Those who would like to make a special contribution can host a table of eight persons for $1,000, or be a patron (for donations of $1,000 to $10,000). Table hosts and patrons will be listed in the dinner booklet and will be invited to a private reception with Ben Stein before the dinner.

Because, in addition to educating, VSHL works for legislation to protect human life, contributions to VSHL are not tax deductible. However, donations above the dinner price of $100 are subject to the matching grant (see matching grant article) and therefore will result in VSHL receiving double the amount contributed.

We hope that Virginians from every part of the Commonwealth, and beyond, will join us for this inspiring and entertaining evening. If you are coming from outside the Richmond area, we encourage you to make your reservations early. You can call the Richmond Omni at 804-344-7000.

Please contact the VSHL Office (call 804-358-VSHL, or email VSHL67@aol.com) for dinner tickets, to make contributions, or for a list of other hotels in the area .

(See also the VSHL President's Letter.)

To make a reservation, please print and submit this reservation form.

Published in VSHL Lifesaver, August 2002