Comments on: RESULTS International Conference

By: Tari Nicholson

Tari Nicholson — Fri, 01 May 2009 20:42:02 +0000

RESULTS gave me the nerve to set up a meeting with my Congressman, George Miller, about 25 years ago, but my heart jumped into my throat when he told me he never supported foreign aide because it was like pouring money down a rathole. Thinking fast, I told him that was exactly why we were there–we felt the same way, and we wanted to see our tax money going to programs that actually worked. Then we asked him to sign on to a bill that we learned about through RESULTS, and he has been supportive of our efforts to fund child survival, microcredit, the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and education for all, ever since.

By: sammi

sammi — Fri, 01 May 2009 16:18:46 +0000

I’ll be there again this year, my third year, one of my favorite weeks of the year. The training and networking and empowering of us grassroots advocates is invaluable, and the day on capitol hill with our senators and congressmen and women emphasizes to them how serious we are about the issues of extreme poverty and hunger, that we will not only build positive, proactive relationships with them and their staffs in-district but will come to see them in their Washington offices as well. some even join us at the banquet on the last evening.

thanx, ONE, for listing this conference; they are a valuable partner in the work we do. i hope to see some of the ONE staff there again this year. last year President David Lane spoke at our Sunday morning plenary, i was very proud of that moment.

stay close,

sammi iin seattle =)

ps: the previous posters here, though from all over america, (except for Bob who is my group leader in seattle), have become more than phone conference acquaintances, i have met them all and befriended most from committees, book groups, communications throughout the year, and DC is an opportunity to put a face and cement a relationship with them, people with the same passions i have.

By: Nancy Daniels, MPA

Nancy Daniels, MPA — Fri, 01 May 2009 06:33:42 +0000

I love ONE.org for the power of many people acting as one voice. Imagine how much more powerful we would be if each individual set aside a few days a year to learn and grow with others who want to end poverty.

Going to a RESULTS Conference is cheaper and less time demanding than a university– and much more focused. RESULTS teaches practical skills and gives you knowledge on the issues and solutions. RESULTS training had a bigger impact on my personal, professional and spiritual life than any other thing I’ve done. I highly recommend it.

By: Bob Dickerson

Bob Dickerson — Fri, 01 May 2009 04:58:38 +0000

Thanks for the note about the RESULTS International Conference! I have been going since I learned about a powerful way to fight hunger and poverty in 1989. Meeting Reps, Senators, World Bank officials, and others face to face is definitely a way to get the ship of state turned around! We have had Paul Farmer, Jim Kim, Hillary Clinton, and so many other great speakers at the conference. But I think the thing that had the most lasting effect on me was hearing from a member of Congress on Capitol Hill in the early 1990s. I have not tried to research the current numbers. But at the time, he asked us: How many bills do you think are introduced in a session of Congress? (We had no idea.) Answer: 35,000! How could any group of aides read them all, much less a member of Congress! Then he asked what was perhaps an even more important question: How many pass? (Again, wild guesses, but no idea.) Answer: (at that time) 220. It gives you an idea just how important lobbying is. And if we (that would be you and me) don’t do this, we leave it to the silk suits with expense accounts. Poverty is not high on their list of priorities! Come and join us! Lobby your Senator and your Representative face to face. You can do it. And doing so definitely makes a difference.

By: david schubert

david schubert — Fri, 01 May 2009 02:54:29 +0000

I’ve been going to this conference for 9 years. It is great. I wanted to do something to end world hunger and poverty, and RESULTS has helped me do that in a meaningful and effective way. RESULTS has had some amazing successes. When we first started about 30 years ago, 42,000 children were dying every day from easily preventable diseases like measles and diarrhea. We started lobbying for increaced funding for the Child Survival Account which provides inexpensive treatments like measles vaccines and treatment for severe diarrhea. Every year we obtained increases for these life saving medicines. Today these unnecessary deaths have decreased from 42,000 a day to less than 26,000. The number is still too high, but it shows that progress is certainly possible.

By: Lisa Schliff

Lisa Schliff — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 21:39:16 +0000

I’ll never forget our long trek in groups down the halls of Congress, and the spontaneous meeting with the aide of one Congressman who was very supportive and on the same page with us on all the issues. I will always remember our breakfast with Senator Feinstein, who singled out our table and, to our surprise, introduced the RESULTS volunteers to one hundred or so visitors in the room. The planned events are fantastic, and the unexpected experiences are tremendous.

By: Steve Valk

Steve Valk — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:29:34 +0000

I’ve been going to the RESULTS International Conference for many years. For anyone who is really committed to ending poverty, there can be no better experience. I remember my first time lobbying on Capitol Hill and seeing the tourists at the Capitol. It occurred to me that I was no longer a tourist, but a player who was determining what our nation’s priorities would be. Come to Washington for the RESULTS conference and be a player! Your feet won’t touch the ground for two weeks after it’s over.