Maya and Dalai Ward Sign up 200 new members in Rockville, MD!

Jun 2nd, 2010 12:30 PM UTC
By Virginia Simmons

Got this post in from ONE’s Congressional District Leader for Maryland, Deidree Bennet.

Two young advocates took to the streets of Rockville and signed up over 200 new ONE members this weekend!

How did they do it? The Hometown Holidays event in Rockville, MD, is a massive festival which drew thousands of visitors, the majority of them families with children. Maya and Dalai Ward joyfully persevered through the heat and the crowds on Saturday and Sunday, spreading awareness of what ONE is all about. These brilliant volunteers took it upon themselves to make a banner with the phrase “Help ONE, Help Millions” which drew a lot of attention to the table. When we ran out of promo materials and white bands, they created their own fact sheet to hand out, which people loved!

Mayor Phyllis Marcuccio stopped by to engage in a lively conversation with the girls, and then signed up to ONE!

Addressing complete strangers with “Hi! How are you?…Fine thank you. Have you heard about ONE?” takes a brave spirit. Many new members expressed how impressed they were by the passion and hopefulness displayed by the youths. Some of the more persuasive arguments these volunteers used to connect with people were launched with the phrase:

“Did you know…”

Did you know 40 cents a day will keep a person with HIV/AIDS alive?
Some children have to walk up to five miles a day just to get a bucket of dirty water?

Deaths from Malaria have been cut in half in over 20 countries?!?

34 million more African children were able to go to school, yet 35 million more still are not. There is more work to be done.

They also signed up seven new ONE volunteers, who were inspired by the intelligence and will of these remarkable young ladies.

Way to go Dalai and Maya!!!

-ONE Congressional District Leader, Rockville, MD

TAGS: Maryland