Volunteers often worry that getting a city or state to make a proclamation can be really tough, but sometimes you just have to ask.

For example, consider the City of ONE proclamation issued by Corvallis, Oregon. ONE Campaign group leader, Chester Bateman, works with a organization at Oregon State University called The Grassroots Learning Project, which uses internet innovations (such as podcasting) to engage communities in learning. The Mayor of the City of Corvallis, Oregon (population 53,900) is also part of the Grassroots Learning Project.

In the context of “making a difference at the grassroots level”, Chester shared the story of the ONE Campaign and a short time later, with the Mayor’s help, Corvallis became a City of ONE.

City of ONE/State of ONE is a national effort that encourages localities to proclaim their dedication to addressing the global emergency of extreme poverty and preventable disease. To date, 10 States and over 110 Cities have issued the ONE proclamation.

Below, see the video of Chester’s comments at the announcement of Corvallis, Oregon’s City of ONE proclamation.

[In photo at top, left to right, Levi, Chester and Mayor Charles Tomlinson]