September 7th, 2007 at 11:05 am | posted by Sarah Crouthers
I’m sorry that the congressional schedule would not allow me to attend the ONE Missouri event yesterday. But please know that you have my complete support and admiration for your efforts.
Ghandi once said that “poverty is the worst form of violence.” He was right. We hold in our own hands, the power to prevent and treat AIDS, end hunger, erase the burden of crushing debt, and move millions from dependency to self-sufficiency.
I commend the ONE Campaign for uniting people from all faiths and backgrounds, from all over the world, in this holy mission to alleviate suffering and bring wholeness to humanity.
Thank you for making St. Louis a “City of ONE.”
With best wishes for your mission.
-Wm. Lacy Clay, Member of Congress, 1st District - Missouri
September 7th, 2007 at 10:06 am | posted by Virginia Simmons
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Blunt, Slay unite with Oliver, et al as ONE
Gov. Matt Blunt and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay presented a united front against extreme poverty this morning, as both presented proclamations declaring that the city and the state share a ONE commitment to join the fight.
Both were featured speakers at a news conference at Washington University, where they were joined by several dozen students and other ONE volunteers.
KWMU (NPR)
Missouri and St. Louis join fight against poverty
ST. LOUIS, MO. (2007-09-06) The state of Missouri and city of St. Louis are joining an effort to bring attention to global poverty.
The world-wide movement is called One: a Campaign to Make Poverty History.
Missouri Governor Matt Blunt and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay signed on Thursday becoming the ninth state and 120th city to do so.
Student Life, The Independent Newspaper of Washington University in St. Louis since 1878
Governor, mayor commit to fight global poverty
This Thursday morning, Governor Matt Blunt and St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay convened on the Washington University campus with other prominent members of the St. Louis community to declare their solidarity with the ONE campaign in the fight against global poverty and disease.
“As Americans living in the twenty-first century, we enjoy an unprecedented level of freedom and prosperity that really is unequaled in the world,” said Governor Blunt. “But prosperity and freedom are not the only qualities that distinguish us. There is also a can-do attitude that leads more American to service than any other nation in the world.”
Jeff Yanecek, Natalie Sugira, and our newest ONE staffer Wes Peterson trekked to Waterloo, Iowa, on Tuesday for a sit down meeting with Mayor Tim Hurley. Because Waterloo is one of the largest cities in Iowa and hotbed of political activity we wanted to make sure that the city’s leader was aware of the ONE Campaign’s work.
During our meeting, we expressed the importance of getting community leaders involved. By having Waterloo sign up as a City of ONE we would send a strong message that the citizens of Iowa care about those in poverty no matter where they live. Mayor Hurley had researched ONE before our visit and told us that he recognized many of the partner organizations as being active in his city. The talk went well enough to have the mayor invite us to speak in front of the entire city council to discuss Waterloo becoming a City of ONE.
August 27th, 2007 at 5:26 pm | posted by Josh Chernila, ONE Online Communities Coordinator
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]
Hillary Clinton held a town hall meeting in Pahrump, NV, on Monday and ONE volunteer and Pahrump resident Sharon Whalen was there to ask Senator Clinton about her commitment to ONE.
During the Q and A Sharon asked Senator Clinton what she would to do as president to educate the millions of children around the world who do not have access to free primary education.
Senator Clinton noted Sharon’s ONE t-shirt and what an important issue this is to her, she went on to say how familiar she is with ONE’s efforts to raise awareness about the issue.
Hillary told the audience that education is a key element to alleviating extreme poverty and that many of these children end up receiving their education through extremist Islamic madras’s. “Educating these children is an issues of national security,” Hillary told the crowd.
Sharon gave Senator Clinton a ONE wristband and we were able to thank her again for her efforts to educate children throughout the world.
From Pahrump to Elko, to Reno, to Vegas, ONE Nevada will be there to meet every presidential contender and infuse global poverty into the national debate.
August 14th, 2007 at 1:39 pm | posted by Kim Smith, ONE Regional Field Organizer
This past Saturday Aug 11, Jonestown, PA, was declared the very first “City of ONE” in Pennsylvania!
The community came together for the Annual Spirit of Jonestown Parade and Picnic where ONE supporters hosted a float in the parade and a table where people could join the campaign at the picnic. At the picnic, Jonestown Mayor George Kaufman signed the “City of ONE” Proclamation and State Representative RoseMarie Swanger presented the volunteers with a “Certificate of Recognition” from the State house.
ONE member and Jonestown resident Brian Sweeney headed the effort to secure the proclamation and have a float for ONE in the parade. “I have learned through my volunteering with ONE what I can do as an average citizen to make a difference in fighting extreme poverty around the world. Turns out, there’s a lot I can do,” explains Sweeney. “I can ask my mayor to make my hometown a City of ONE, I can ask my Governor to declare my state a State of ONE, and I can call on my representatives in Congress to make the right decisions for the world’s poorest people.”
Jonestown ONE members worked for months, meeting with the mayor, planning for the float, and recruiting more volunteers to help them out on this special day! All in all it was a great success and Mayor Kaufman said it best during the proclamation signing, “I am proud that Jonestown is Pennsylvania’s first City of ONE. Each of us has a responsibility to help others in an emergency. When people are dying from diseases that can be easily cured or treated, I consider that an emergency. With the Jonestown residents, this is something I can do to help. We need to acknowledge the problems, learn about the issues and take action with the ONE Campaign.”
Jonestown joins 109 cities, 10 states and three colleges that have been declared Cities, States and Colleges of ONE across the country. Find more information on how to get your city declared a “City of ONE” here.
August 7th, 2007 at 11:12 am | posted by Virginia Simmons
They say you can’t fight City Hall, and I agree. That’s why I asked City Hall to join me in a fight – a fight to rid the world of extreme poverty. Mayor Donnie Brown happily agreed and signed a proclamation today to make New Madrid a City of ONE. By doing so, he has given Missouri its first City of ONE and has officially joined an effort to end extreme poverty in the world’s poorest countries.
Members of the community stood with me on Friday to watch as Mayor Brown signed the proclamation. As parents, nurses, business leaders and people of faith, we feel the need to do more around the world.
I look forward to working with others around the state to spread the message. So far, I’ve signed up 100 people after New Madrid’s City of ONE announcement. Missourians are beginning to see that we can get involved and save lives right here at home. I hope to see more Cities of ONE pop up around the state because this is a great way to get involved and shine light on important issues.
New Madrid now joins 109 cities, 10 states and three colleges that have been declared Cities, States and Colleges of ONE across the country. I want what Mayor Donnie Brown started to continue across the state - let’s lead the country with Cities of ONE!
The ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, volunteers, members and coalition partners.
The content of each post and each comment represent the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the ONE Campaign or ONE Action. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any posts expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
For example, consider the City of ONE proclamation issued by Corvallis, Oregon. ONE Campaign group leader, 
