St. Francis de Sales’ Walking With Moms in Need preps for El Tour de Tucson

By Kolette Kozlowicz 
 
Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use violence to get what they want. That is why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion.” 
 
Growing up in Kansas, my mom was always known as the ‘Pro-Life Lady.’ She led small town peaceful pro-life marches, organized baby drives, comforted young women in need, had my dad build crosses to represent children killed in the womb, etc. Concerning pro-life, you name it she’s done it! 
 
In 2019, my mom had her first stroke. It really impacted me hard; it made me stop and take a pause in my life. Here’s my mom, who has been fighting my whole life to end abortion, and what have I done?  
 
Last spring while attending a Tucson pro-life meeting, I learned about the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) ministry, Walking with Moms in Need (WWMIN). Dr. Ana Sanguineti, the Diocese of Tucson’s spokesperson on life issues, brought WWMIN to Tucson in 2022. She was looking for people to implement this ministry at their own parish. I said to myself, “Wow, this ministry sounds awesome! I need to find out more about it!” 
 
The more I learned more about WWMIN, the more I felt like God had been preparing me my whole life for this ministry. It was exactly what I had been searching for.  
 
WWMIN gives parishes the opportunity to SERVE GOD by accompanying expectant moms facing challenging pregnancies, or parenting moms and dads who are experiencing difficulties, whether it be emotional, financial, or spiritual. The goals of this initiative are to give alternatives to women who might otherwise seek an abortion due to a lack of support, and secondly, WWMIN provides healing for women and men suffering in the aftermath of an abortion. I encourage you to learn more at www.walkingwithmoms.com. 
 

Be the change you wish to see in the world 

Because I tend to leap before looking, I prayed and prayed, and really tried to discern if God wanted me to lead WWMIN at Saint Francis de Sales Parish (SFdS) in Tucson. After much spiritual reflection, I finally made an appointment with the pastor, Fr. Richard Kusugh in May 2023.  
 
Honestly, before our meeting, I was secretly praying that someone else had already volunteered to bring WWMIN to SFdS! I didn’t want to lead a team, I just wanted to be part of it. However, when I met with Fr. Richard, that prayer wasn’t answered.  
 
He approved my endeavor and I began by contacting Dr. Ana Sanguineti, who had all the resources I would need. Fr. Richard suggested collaborating with the SFdS St. Vincent de Paul ministry because they directly engage with members of our community who are in need. 
 
As I addressed my fellow parishioners after Mass, I held tight to the cross of my rosary and, by God’s divine intervention, I didn’t faint. I didn’t stumble (too much) on my words. I felt as if I was able to draw on Mary’s grace and feel the Holy Spirit work through me as I spoke.  
 
Do you know what happened? After almost every Mass that weekend, I had someone come up to me and offer to help WWMIN in some way! 
 
One woman was getting ready to move to Florida and had crocheted many baby blankets that she donated to our cause. Another woman, who had previously worked at Reachout Women’s Center, offered to give our team advice and guidance. Several women who had been looking to join a ministry felt this was exactly what they had been searching for and volunteered to be core team members! I feel so blessed and thankful that God had answered my prayers and sent me the most perfect team! 
 
Using the WWMIN resources as a guide, our newly established core team began meeting twice a month. We brainstormed how we could use and personalize Dr. Ana Sanguineti’s list of over 100 pregnancy and new mom resources in Tucson. We discussed how we could fill the gaps in the existing Tucson resource list. We came up with great ideas such as creating our own parish webpage with easy-to-find resources for pregnancy and struggling parents, working with the city to create signs under the Tucson bridges where pregnant moms are living, and renting out a SNOO basinet to give women in need an extra hand. 
 

A charity team in El Tour de Tucson 

One of the core team members, Brianna, brought up the good point that we would need to fundraise to cover the costs of these ideas. My husband suggested that SFdS WWMIN ministry sign up as a charity for El Tour de Tucson. I immediately contacted El Tour de Tucson’s office and, with the help of SFdS office staff, Lori and Dave, I was able to sign us up as an official El Tour de Tucson charity!  
 
The team name is ‘St. Francis de Sales…Walking with Moms in Need.’ Our goal was to have the name represent WWMIN but make it parish specific. We wanted to leave the door open for other parishes to sign up their own team. If you’d like to donate to our El Tour de Tucson team, please visit the El Tour de Tucson SFdS WWMIN fundraising page. 
 
My husband then said, “If we are going to be an official team, we need to look official! Let’s order some jerseys!” We immediately contacted LG to quickly design 70 jerseys and 30 shorts with the WWMIN logos before the El Tour de Tucson race on November 18, 2023. But before we could order jerseys, I needed to find businesses who would be willing to sponsor them. 
 

Sponsors step up with support 

I’d never done this before, so I started contacting the businesses in town that I love the most! I went out and humbly requested that they donate to help cover the cost of the jerseys and, in return, I’d put their business logo on the jersey. 
 
I first contacted Advanced Skin Clinic/Aesthetics Dermatology spa clinic where I get facials and scar and skin discoloration treatments. Earlier in the summer during a facial appointment, I mentioned to Nichoal I needed my face to look my very best because I would be speaking at every Mass at St. Francis de Sales in hopes of finding core team members for a new ministry called Walking with Moms in Need. When Nichoal heard the mission of WWMIN at SFdS, she immediately said that DMC Aesthetics would love to help our cause! When I reached out to DMC Aesthetics about being a jersey sponsor, all glory be to God, they signed up as my largest donor! 
 
A few days later, I had a dental appointment at Mesquite Dental near Swan and Camp Lowell. I casually asked the front desk staff if Dr. Karley Schneider would consider sponsoring a charity for El Tour de Tucson. They said, “She might be interested. Please send us the details!” After reviewing my sponsor brochure, they contacted me the next day. Dr. Schneider had approved my request, and they were preparing the check!  
 
I next trotted off to my favorite gift shop in town, Seasoned Woman. It’s where I go to find the perfect gifts for all the special ladies in my life! The owner, Joan, “fulfills her company’s mission by offering merchandise that focuses on female relationships. From aromatherapy and jewelry to candles and garden art, each item relays a message of encouragement, friendship, and hope, with a bit of humor sprinkled throughout.” Joan loved our ministry’s goals and signed up to be a SFdS WWMIN jersey sponsor!  
 
Unfortunately, due to my short timeframe, I wasn’t able to find enough sponsors to cover the cost of the minimum number of jerseys. My husband and I brainstormed and decided that we needed to make the jerseys WWMIN focused, not parish specific. We have limited sizes available for purchase. We are selling the WWMIN jerseys for $90 and the bike shorts for $110. Please email [email protected] for more information.  
 

Join the team! 

With all my focus on the jerseys, I haven’t yet been able to find very many riders for our team. We are welcoming any and all to join our team: neighbors, other parishes, other religions… truly all are welcome! If a 32-, 62-, or 102-mile rider can raise a certain amount of money, they will receive a free jersey. If they raise a little bit more money, their registration fee will be refunded!  
 
El Tour de Tucson also has a fun 1-mile ride for kids (which includes a best decorated bike contest for anyone under 12), and a 5K run/walk for kids or adults! If enough participants sign up for those events, I hope to make WWMIN t-shirts for them.  
 
To sign up for the longer rides or shorter rides, please visit https://eltourdetucson.org/. The charity is listed as “St. Francis de Sales…Walking with Moms in Need.” You will need to act quickly, as the prices increase again on October 20th! 
 
As I’m going out and finding El Tour de Tucson riders, patiently waiting for my jersey order to arrive, planning our next WWMIN meeting at SFdS, I’m amazed at how something so tragic like the stroke of my mom changed my life forever. It helped me find joy and peace in my life. It reminded me of something Mother Teresa said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”  
 
May God bless you and yours. Jesus, please protect and save the unborn!