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October 18, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – After being critically injured in a car accident that took the life of fellow Students for Life (SFL) staff member Kortney Blythe Gordon and her unborn daughter Sophy, SFL campus coordinator Jon Scharfenberger has passed away.

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Jon was involved in the car accident that occurred at around 8:00 pm on Saturday October 8th. While initial reports had indicated that Scharfenberger’s condition had been stabilized, he succumbed to his injuries this morning, Tuesday, October 18, 2011.

Indications that all was not well came yesterday when Gerard Nadal, the director of Medical Students for Life, reported that he had “received word that the physicians have induced a 72-hour coma in Jon. In the meantime, we wait, and hope, and pray.”

Later in the day he reported: “Jon has spiked a fever of 108 degrees F, which can be lethal. Urgent prayers are needed as this battle has taken a terrible turn for him.”

“The team at SFLA is beyond saddened” by the news of Jon’s death said Students for Life head Kristan Hawkins in a statement Tuesday.

“Jon had many successes in his short time with us at SFLA, including establishing a pro-life campus group at Florida International University that was successful in saving the life of a pre-born baby, a mere one week after its creation.”

“We continue to offer prayers of support for Jon’s family and friends and grieve during this incredibly difficult time for our organization and mission.”

Hawkins said that those who wish to express condolences to Jon’s family can send them via Jon’s email at [email protected]. The pro-life organization is also taking up donations to help pay for Jon’s funeral expenses. Donations can be made here.

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This is Students for Life’s biography of Jon as it appears on their website:

Jon Scharfenberger is the Campus Support Coordinator and Pregnant on Campus Coordinator. He travels to college campuses working with pro-life groups to create and obtain tangible goals that impact both their campus and local community. As the Pregnant on Campus Coordinator, he works to provide a vision and plan to the over 600 campus pro-life groups across the nation by creating guides and projects that pro-life groups can use in order to provide timely and essential resources to students facing unplanned, crisis pregnancies.

A native of Warwick, New York, Jon graduated with a BA in Philosophy from Ave Maria University in the spring of 2011. He served as President of AMU Students for Life where he led many successful pro-life initiatives. In his years as President, he helped fundraise over $30,000 for the club and committed membership soared from 30 members to over 150 by his final year. In September, 2009 he organized a successful overnight prayer vigil to protest the opening of a new Planned Parenthood, which gained widespread media coverage.

He interned for SFLA in the summer of 2010 and also gained experience on Capitol Hill as an intern for Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS.) Jon joined SFLA in the summer of 2011 to continue to train and equip the next generation of pro-life leaders