Denver
As Denver’s Mile High Stadium packed in tens of thousands of U2 fans to kickoff the USA U2 360˚ tour on Saturday, 30 ONE Colorado teammates armed only with iPads recruited more than 3,400 new members.
Volunteering at a U2 show with ONE is easily one of the most exciting events I’ve experienced. This show, however, stood above the other two I’ve participated in. Over the past few months ONE Colorado has been building teams in Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs and elsewhere in the state.
(more…)
This weekend, I once again had the pleasure of traveling to attend a ONE member workshop– this time in Denver, Colorado. For those who haven’t been able to attend one in your community yet, these workshops are an opportunity for ONE members from a wide array of backgrounds and past experiences with ONE, to assemble, collaborate with one another, and learn more about the issues we advocate for. For me personally, it was a chance to meet with ONE members directly, who are doing great work in their states and in their communities in the fight against extreme poverty.
The group of 60 or so that gathered for the workshop in Denver on Saturday were extremely diverse. Some were very engaged on these issues already, and some just came out to see what ONE was all about. The workshop– led by Regional Field Director Matt Higginson– touched on an array of subjects, from the ins and outs of advocacy, to the budget process in Washington, to the great work already happening on the ground in developing countries.
Two of the attendees were Megan Marsh and Joe Marsh, two Congressional District Leaders (in districts 5 and 6, respectively) who also happen to be siblings. Both have been ONE members for a few years and were very much involved with ONE’s work around the Democratic National Convention in 2008.
At one point during the workshop, we got to hear from State Representative Joe Miklosi (District 9) who talked about the importance of engaging our elected officials through visits and letters. He also talked about his organization Project C.U.R.E. and the great work they’re doing delivering medical supplies, services, and equipment in the developing world.
All in all, it was a great workshop. To find one in your community, just click here.
PS– Patty Manwaring of BeadforLife was also at the workshop, along with a bunch of their handmade bead jewelry. You can read more about their work here.
The Music Builds Tour ended in Denver CO on Sunday night, and it ended with a bang. We had 14 volunteers attend and we were able to sign up more than 450 new members of ONE.
Big thanks to Switchfoot, Robert Randolph, Third Day, and Jars of Clay for their support and kind words from the stage. Many of their fans found us after or during the show to sign the declaration and learn more because of the endorsement from their favorite band.
Throughout the tour we have had the opportunity to meet literally thousands of new faces, all of whom were shocked to hear about how diseases like malaria and tuberculosis are killing millions in Africa. Now they are eager to hold our elected leaders accountable for the promises America has made to help eradicate these diseases everywhere.
-Matthew Higginson
Matt Higgginson was in charge of local ONE volunteers for the DNCC all week and did an amazing job if I do say so myself. I thought posting some of the pics from his camera might give you a sense of what he was up to all week.
Local volunteers Brooke and Dana working the ONE Bus.
Darren & Lindsey from Littleton, CO, working the service project.
ONE volunteer Joe Marsh is signing Delegates up as they wait for their credentials.
And one of many volunteers who walked the 16th St. Mall in Denver and signed up new members to ONE.
A lot of people have come by to learn about ONE and sign up for the cause. Here’s a sampling of the foot traffic.
Below, a couple of alternate delegates from New Mexico came by. They said they’d be on the convention floor tomorrow and will be wearing their new ONE shirts.
Here, a set of 3 delegates from Nevada came by to pick up some ONE materials.
A couple more pics of visitors coming by.
And this one is my favorite. ONE staff and volunteers were busy, so our new Alternate-Delegate-from-New Mexico friends introduced these three newbies to ONE.
The delegates, volunteers and brand new ONE members are pouring by our ONE Bus in Denver.
I managed to catch some of it on camera. First I’ll profile 3 of our volunteers: Erika, Monica and Allie.
Erika (below) and I chatted for a bit. She told me that she first heard about ONE 2 years ago from an email – and has been a big supporter ever since. This is the first time she’s been able to volunteer in-person – I’m excited to see more of her around the convention.
Monica is also a local volunteer. Here she is getting ready to head out to the 16th St. Mall in Denver to spread the word about ONE. Yesterday, she walked the “delegate-credentialing” line and signed up new ONE delegates for us. She was even able to get to hand some ONE lit and a ONE band to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin.
And local volunteer Allie also came by and was kind enough to pose for me by our bus.
-Virginia Simmons
I’m here with a ONE crew in Denver, starting up the 1st leg of ONE’s convention outreach.
Below check out our new traveling headquarters: “the ONE Bus”. This week it’s in Denver for the Democratic National Committee Convention. Next week we’ll drive the bus to Minneapolis/ St. Paul for the Republican National Committee Convention.
Right now, folks are just setting up, and at 9am (mountain time) Democratic delegates and volunteers will be coming by to learn more about ONE and how to get involved.
Later today, we’re partnering with World Vision to run a service project building volunteer kits for AIDS caregivers around the world.
Check back to the ONE Blog over the next 2 week for more updates from the ground.
-Virginia Simmons
