Gov. Pawlenty rides through Texas

Jan 24th, 2011 2:53 PM UTC
By Field

Last week, I was fortunate to join ONE members Cory Loebsak and Vanissa Plata and meet former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty as he passed through Houston, Texas on a tour for his new book, “Courage to Stand.”

Vanissa, Christopher, Gov. Pawlenty and Cory in Houston

Instantly recognizing us, Gov. Pawlenty greeted us warmly and took a moment to talk with us about ONE. We gave him an op-ed by former President George W. Bush in the Washington Post that talks about the importance of US programs that are fighting HIV/AIDS and saving lives in the developing world. Gov. Pawlenty thanked us for ONE’s efforts across the globe and specially signed a copy of his new book. We urged him, as an influential leader in national politics, to continue to have the “courage to stand” for those suffering from the vicious cycle of extreme poverty and global disease.

And the evening before we spoke with the governor, Kyle Talkington in Dallas caught up with him and told him about our Lazarus Effect screenings in Dallas. He even gave him his copy of The Lazarus Effect in hopes the Governor take a few minutes to see the amazing progress that collective partnerships have made with HIV/AIDS treatment around the world.

Big Texas thanks to Gov Pawlenty for sharing his open heart and warm welcome to us as we continue to urge our elected leaders to take further action to help save millions of lives in the poorest nations on earth.

-Christopher Niermann, congressional district leader, Houston, Texas

TAGS: From ONE Members, Texas