Pictured L-R: Cori Meier (Interim Y4Life Director), Chelsea Adams, Diane Albers (President, LFL Board of Directors), Rev. Dr. Aric Fenske (LFL Executive Director).
By Y4Life Staff
On Friday, September 18, 2026, Ms. Chelsea Adams was awarded the 2026 Teaching 4 Life award by Y4Life and Lutherans For Life at the Fall Gala held in Des Moines, Iowa. Each year, Y4Life seeks nominations for a teacher who upholds the sanctity of life in his or her classroom. This year, Adams was nominated by a student’s parent who experienced Adams’ care and dedication for her students firsthand. The parent stated, “Her positive attitude and can-do spirit are contagious, and she is always reminding others that God has made each person special – even children that require a little extra ‘care.’ She is one of a kind.” Adams has served in Lutheran schools for the past 17 years in kindergarten and first-grade classrooms. Currently, she teaches kindergarten at Mount Olive Lutheran School in Des Moines, Iowa.
Adams’ convictions about the sanctity of life are rooted in Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Knowing that each person is valuable because God made them – and not because of their abilities, accomplishments, or age – is what motivates Adams to share this message with her students and their families each day. She has also experienced the many blessings of fostering children and adopting her son. As a result, she shares with her students how God has worked in her life in these ways and invites them to learn what both foster care and adoption look like in real life. Adams relates earthly adoption to the ultimate adoption her students have as God’s adopted children.
Despite their young age, Adams instills in her students the value of serving others. They participate in service projects that benefit life-affirming entities such as foster care organizations and Christian pregnancy centers.
Adams stated that she felt honored to be nominated for the 2026 Teaching 4 Life award. “Just being nominated for this award is an honor,” she said. “I feel blessed to have people in my life who recognize my efforts and appreciate them. Especially being nominated by a parent of a student in my classroom encourages me in all that I do in the classroom.”
It was evident to the Y4Life team that Adams boldly, purposefully, and repeatedly upholds human life in her kindergarten classroom. She reminds her students of their value in Christ and adoption as children of God. She works to support her students in the stage of life they are in, pointing them back to who God believes them to be, guiding them in Gospel-centered reconciliation, providing encouragement to work on difficult tasks, and helping them make better choices that reflect God in their lives.
Interim Director of Y4Life, Cori Meier commended Adams for her life-affirming work: “It is clear through her nomination for the award and recommendations by friends and colleagues that she cares for each child in her classroom, no matter their background or circumstances. Through her vocation as a foster and adoptive parent, her students see firsthand what it means to love your neighbor. Chelsea’s love for her neighbor shines through everything she does, touching lives both inside and outside her school.”
Meier said she was truly honored to present the 2026 Teaching 4 Life Award on behalf of Y4Life and Lutherans for Life. “We will be praying for Ms. Adams as she continues to shape students’ hearts and minds for years to come,” said Meier.
Thanks to a generous donor, Adams received $1,000 in recognition of her work to uphold life in the classroom.
If you know a teacher deserving of this award, please nominate him or her for the 2027 Teaching 4 Life award. The nomination form will be made available in January 2027.