By Meredith Raney

As you probably already know, Florida has specialty license tags to raise money for everything from the “Challenger” memorial to the “Save the Manatee” to “Save the Panther” to “University of Florida.” There are 36 total.

The Marion County Commission has proposed a specialty plate that features a crayon-style drawing of a smiling boy and girl on the left-hand side with the phrase “Choose Life” scribbled in child-style handwriting on the bottom.

The purpose is to raise money to promote the adoption alternative as a solution to unwanted pregnancies.

What can you do? Thanks for asking …

1) Continue to urge everyone that they must begin now to call and write their State Senator and State Representative and ask them to support these bills in the legislature. It is extremely important that the letters be brief and to the point. Do not try to justify your position in any great detail or it will not get read. State your facts and requests in “bullet” form if possible, i.e. 1), 2), 3), etc.

2) Contact any group you believe will support us, talk to them and have them this number for packets of information: (352) 624-2854. They can contact: Randy Harris (352) 620-3307 for telephone interviews and television interviews.

4) We need to raise the remaining money needed for the marketing plan, now about $20,000. Also continue to solicite petition signatures.

5) Please pass on this information to the groups and contacts you have.

Thanks for your efforts, this is going to happen!