Vonette Bright | Ministry cofounder, 89

Vonette Bright, 89, who with her husband cofounded Campus Crusade for Christ, has died of complications from leukemia in Orlando.

A spokeswoman for the organization, Alison Geist, confirmed the death Tuesday.

Mrs. Bright and her husband, Bill Bright, helped build the ministry into a worldwide evangelical force with a presence in 173 countries and 25,000 staffers.

The Brights launched Campus Crusade for Christ in 1951 at UCLA, and the ministry soon spread to other university campuses. The ministry has spread beyond university students and now has ministries for athletes and families and does film production.

In the late 1980s, Mrs. Bright helped petition Congress to declare a permanent National Day of Prayer. She served for almost a decade as chairwoman of the National Day of Prayer Task Force. - AP