Every year, we invite speakers to inform and inspire us as we stand up for the lives of unborn children and their families. Below is a short bio for the speakers we have lined up this year:
Lacey Buchanan
Lacey Buchanan lives in Woodbury, Tennessee with her husband, Chris,and 22 month old son, Christian. She will be welcoming a second little boy in May of 2013. She is a student at Nashville School of Law seeking her juris doctorate. She is currently a stay at home mom so that she can focus on her studies and Christian’s special needs. She enjoys spending time with her family. You can help Lacey with Christian’s medical care. Visit Love for Christian Buchanan.
Elaine Riddick
Elaine Riddick was born in January 1954 in the back bedroom of her grandmother’s home.She was one of eight children, which included seven girls and one boy. She was born to a mother and father who both suffered from alcoholism; with her father also having been afflicted with shell shock from World War II, which caused him to be abusive to his wife.
Elaine became pregnant at the age of 13 through a rape by an older man in his 20′s. The State Eugenics Board of NC deemed her “feebleminded” and promiscuous and recommended that she be sterilized. At 14 she gave birth to a son, and was sterilized immediately following the birth of her son.
In 1968, Elaine moved to New York to live with a relative. There she was basically on her own making ends meet by doing housework. At the age of 17 she attended a Medical Aide Training school where she received her Medical Aide Certificate. In 1978, she earned her degree in Human Services from New York City Technical College.
Upon turning 18 years old Elaine Riddick married and tried to start a family, but she learned that she had been sterilized. Upon learning this information she fell into a deep depression. In order to try to receive some form of retribution, Elaine contacted the ACLU, who then contacted their attorneys and a suit was filed on her behalf against the State of NC in 1982. The $1,000,000.00 claim was denied.
Elaine Riddick moved to Atlanta Georgia shortly after the lawsuit and continued to fight against Eugenics. In 2012 after prior approval from the two previous Governors of North Carolina, the NC State Senate, voted against the funding for the victims of North Carolina’s Eugenics program.
Rev. Clenard Childress
Pastor Clenard Howard Childress, Jr., a lifelong resident of Montclair, New Jersey, joined the New Calvary Baptist Church in September of 1974 under the pastorate of Dr. Shellie Sampson. In 1978, he was appointed Director of the Youth Department, to organize and educate youth. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Superintendent of the Sunday School Department and Vice-President of the Outreach Ministries.
Pastor Childress successfully completed Northern Baptist School of Religion in 1986 where he majored in Christian Education. He was ordained in 1988 by the North Jersey Shiloh Association and later installed as Senior Pastor of New Calvary in April of 1989.
In 1997, Pastor Childress, along with his wife Regina, founded the Eutychus Mission, a ministry designed to provide continued rehabilitation and assistance to recently released juvenile detention detainees back into the mainstream of society. In October of 1998, Essex County Executive James Treffinger honored Pastor Childress’ faithful and effective work at the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center by installing him as a Chaplain. In November of 1998, he founded the Celebration of Life Day Care Center, which provides loving Christian care for children from infancy to 5 years of age. In August of 1999, Pastor Childress was appointed President of the Life Education And Resource Network (L.E.A.R.N.) in Northeast Region. He was a chief organizer of the “Say So” March to the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC.
In November of 2000, Pastor Childress was awarded the Community Service Award by the Montclair Chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. for his dedicated work in the community. In May 2001, Pastor Childress began broadcasting “The Urban Prophet” taking the pro-life pro-family message into the urban areas. In September of 2002, Pastor Clenard H. Childress Jr. birthed the Pro-life website Blackgenocide.org. This website was designed to reach the Afro-American Community with the truth about abortion. In January 2003, Pastor Childress was appointed a member of the National Pro-Life Religious Council of Washington, DC. In March of 2003 Pastor Childress was appointed to the Board of The Center For Bio Ethical Reform. The Center for Bio Ethical Reform is a National Group that is dedicated in educating the nation and foreign countries on the rights of the unborn. In January 2004, Pastor Childress was appointed President of the Montclair African American Clergy Association (MAACA). On January 23, 2005 Pastor Childress having been recommended by his peers and approved by the Board of Scholars of the National Clergy Council of Washington Dc in conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church –USA, received The Honorary Degree of Doctorate of Divinity. In March Of 2006 Rev. Clenard H. Childress authored his first book No Shepherd’s Cry. Pastor Childress and his book were featured on the 700 Club hosted by CBN’s Pat Roberson.
Pastor Childress Jr. has repeatedly been featured in World Magazine and has contributed commentary and editorials for Christianity Today, The Christian Post, Black Christian News, The Washington Times and New Jersey Star Ledger and is a regular columnist on Alan Keys Renew America.
Pastor Childress is joyously married to Regina Childress and has four children: Clenard, Thomas, Tonya and Tia.
Kelly Clinger
Kelly Clinger has been singing and playing piano for many years. Once an extra on the Mickey Mouse Club and a background vocalist for Britney Spears, Kelly turned her life over to the Lord in 2003 after years of heartache and pain caused by the music industry, divorce, addiction and abortion. Now, at 36 years old, Kelly is married to Matt Clinger and has 2 children, Evin (age 16) and Logan (age 10).
Kelly is the a spokesperson for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, a group of post-abortive men and women who have chosen to tell their stories of the devastating affects of abortion. Kelly feels that God has given her a voice for the millions of women who live in regret, guilt, self-hatred and a voice for the unprotected children in the womb. In November of 2010, she wrote a painfully honest blog about her abortions and the trauma and hopelessness that ensued. It received over 10,000 views in the first 72 hours. This year, Kelly wrote a blog about late term abortion titled “We Can’t Handle the Truth” which featured a picture of a woman who had come to abort her twin baby girls. This blog has received over a million views to date and gained worldwide attention.
Kelly is also a worship leader and a songwriter, and in 2008 she recorded an album titled “In Your Delay”. It is a collection of original songs that the Lord has given her to tell stories, ask questions, and bring a message of peace and joy in the midst of waiting.
Kelly travels frequently to lead worship and tell her story of turning her pain into purpose. She currently lives in Kansas City, Missouri with her family and is part of the International House of Prayer.
For more information, please visit: www.kellyclinger.com or www.silentnomoreawareness.com
Jennifer O’Neill
Internationally acclaimed model, actress, producer, spokesperson, author, inspirational speaker, and proud mother of three, by any definition, Jennifer O’Neill is one of a kind. With over thirty-five feature films and dozens of television projects to her credit, Jennifer is the first to tell you she is truly blessed… Her “ leading men” have included John Wayne, Robert Duval, Chuck Norris, Anthony Quinn… And of course, we’ve all seen her impressive thirty-year Campaign for Cover Girl Cosmetics.
Along with fundraising and making regular media appearances on behalf of Pro-Life, Jennifer is the International Spokesperson for the The Silent No More Awareness Campaign. She also has penned and produced her Biblically-based workbooks, audio and video resources in support of her theme of Hope and Healing.
Having worked with World Vision, Women of Faith, and Focus on Family, to name a few, she continues to star in family films and keynotes at conferences across the country. Most recently, “Jen” shares her Equine-Assisted Life Lessons at Hillenglade presentlyserving girls, women, and Military families. She has just completed her feature film, Hillenglade, which is due for release in 2013.
Ms. O’Neill’s published works include Surviving Myself, From Fallen to Forgiven, You’re Not Alone, the Circle of Friends…Just Off Main fiction series, All That Glitters novel, and her autobiography, Cover Story.
Fr. Peter Irving
This year’s St. Gianna Molla award winner, Fr. Peter Irving is known as a transformer. He’s transformed parishes, neighborhoods, actual church buildings and lives. He’s been stationed in gang ridden neighborhoods and almost empty, dilapidated parishes. He’s reached out to communities, literally by going door to door, and made them communities who work together to make better lives for themselves and others. He’s left at least one of these parishes with danger and crime only a faint memory and a robust, faithful parish their future. His current assignment takes on the similar challenges and aspirations.
Father Irving and his parish, Holy Innocents in Long Beach, should serve as an inspiration and example to everyone. Knowing that the Family Planning Associates he had prayed at was in the parish boundaries, Fr. Irving requested to be assigned to Holy Innocents Parish. He educated and rallied his parish on abortion and the Culture of Life and they, together, adopted this clinic. They offered help and counseled mothers who felt they had no options. Fr. Irving and his parish (the old to the young) cover every aspect of saving these women and children from sidewalk counseling at the clinic to supporting the women after the arrival of their babies. Since February of 2008, Fr. Irving and his parish have over 500 confirmed saves of mothers and their babies from destruction at the hands of this clinic. His parish is bursting at the seams with these families who have found a haven in Holy Innocents parish. There are no more dedicated people to spreading the Culture of Life than Fr. Irving and his parishioners.
