by Marc and Julie Anderson
mjanderson@theleaven.org
OVERLAND PARK — One phone call in the late 1980s changed the course of Jeff Joaquin’s life forever.
His girlfriend was pregnant.
Instead of standing beside her and embracing fatherhood, Joaquin said, he drove her to an abortion clinic, a decision he now calls “the worst decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
Today, that painful chapter has become the foundation of a ministry centered on healing and redemption, calling men to embrace their God-given vocation as protectors of women, children and family.
Joaquin will share that message Sept. 24 as the keynote speaker for the Life & Hope Banquet at the Overland Park Convention Center, the annual fundraiser for the Wyandotte and Olathe pregnancy clinics.
Leah Conner, executive director of the Wyandotte Pregnancy Clinic, believes his perspective is one many people need to hear.
“We’re going to be talking about encouraging men to stand up and do what they were called to do . . . and support the women,” she said.
“They are the number one influencers of women in these difficult circumstances,” she added.
Joaquin’s presentation will draw from his spiritual journey chronicled in the documentary “How to Save a Life: A Powerful Documentary of Hope, Healing and Redemption.”
For more information about the banquet, including ticket information, visit: lifeandhopeteam.org/event/banquet.
