ONE out of every six

May 21st, 2009 6:35 PM EST
By Field

Last weekend some ONE members attended an interesting event in the Twin Cities that was a mix of art and awareness. The event, titled “Drop of Gold” was organized by a new local organization called SURGE, and the main focus was water. The event raised funds for water projects in Bangladesh, in partnership with Water Partners International.

People got together to learn about the importance of the “new gold”, or clean water in developing countries, while allowing people to socialize and view work by local artists. A staggering fact that we really took away from this was their theme of the evening: “One in six of us does not have access to clean water”.

We met the founders of the organization and had a discussion about local action with global impact. We told them about all the great things that the Twin Cities ONE group has been doing lately and we agreed to collaborate on an activity soon. We believe that partnering with like-minded individuals and groups on the local level is important for a grassroots organization like ours to be successful and more impactful in our communities. It was a great educational event and we are looking forward to working with them in the future.

-Reena Dhake and Tzviatko Chiderov, ONE Twin Cities volunteers

ONE Sabbath at Hope Presbyterian

May 19th, 2009 5:26 PM EST
By Field

Recently, Hope Presbyterian Church in Richfield, MN held 3 ONE Sabbath services. The services were attended by more than 800 people and it was an exciting morning of worship. Pastor Bruce Hillyer challenged the congregation to help those in need and bring compassion to those who are hurting.

During the service we focused on three ministry organizations in Africa. The first ministry was Daystar University, a Christian university located in Kenya. We were joined by Frank Msambya, a Daystar graduate who now works in Daystar’s U.S. office. Frank shared with the congregation about the great work happening at Daystar and how they could become involved. Specifically Frank talked about a new mentorship program that is training Daystar students to go into the Kibra slums and work with children. One of Daystar’s goals is to educate students so that they may disperse throughout Africa with an education that can make a difference.

The second ministry that we highlighted was the Kenya Children’s Fund. This is another education based ministry. Since 1987 Kenya Children’s Fund (KCF) has sought to transform the lives of Kenya’s impoverished children by providing life’s basic necessities, principally education, nutrition, and medical care. KCF’s biggest project is in Kinyago-Dandora, one of the poorest areas of Nairobi, Kenya. KCF’s mission is to lift children from a place of hopelessness to personal achievement. Armed with an education, these young men and women will return to their communities to serve as change agents in every sector of society.

The final ministry that we highlighted was Water for Life. Water for Life’s mission is to help communities in need develop safe and sustainable water sources. By combining formal instruction with hands-on training they teach people how to supply and maintain their own local water resources. Water for Life’s focus is not simply to provide safe drinking water to those in need. The ultimate goal is to help people gain the knowledge and experience they need to help themselves and their communities. We specifically focused on Water for Life’s project in Rwanda, a 4 year project that began in December of 2008. When complete all primary-school students in Kigali will have access to safe drinking water. By December of 2012 this project will improve the lives of over 80,000 children and their families in Kigali.

In between services all three of the ministries had tables set up for members of the congregation to come and visit with them and learn more. We also had a ONE table to get information out to the congregation about the campaign, many people stopped and signed up!

It was a great morning and many of the ministries and church members have already talked about doing another ONE Sabbath service next year.

-Ben Hayle, ONE Member

Pizza for HIV/AIDS Awareness

May 4th, 2009 6:25 PM EST
By Field

On Thursday the ONE Twin Cities group participated in Dining Out for Life and held a cereal drive for a local non-profit, Open Arm of Minnesota. Dining out for life is an annual event where restaurants all over the country agree to donate a portion of their proceeds that day to local AIDS organizations. In the Twin Cities, over 120 restaurants agreed to participate and donate to The Aliveness Project, a local nonprofit that provides meals, a food shelf and other services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

Open Arms of Minnesota delivers meals to people living with illness around the community; they currently serve individuals living with HIV/AIDS, breast cancer and MS. We collected cereal to deliver to them as it fit the theme of helping those living with disease.

ONE Twin Cities hosted people at Pizza Luce, a local restaurant that agreed to donate 35% of their proceeds to the Aliveness Project. People came and donated cereal, with over half being new faces that were interested in learning more about ONE and excited about contributing to a good cause in more than one way. Overall people had a great time, eating really good pizza for a good cause.

-Reena Drake, Twin Cities ONE Member

Kick it to Malaria

Apr 27th, 2009 4:25 PM EST
By Field

Here in the Twin Cities, the local ONE volunteers partnered with Malaria No More to commemorate World Malaria Day on April 25th by “kicking it to malaria” - we got together to play soccer, learn about malaria and become part of the solution. We had two teams of 7 people each - many of whom were local ONE members.

It was great to see so many similar-minded individuals come together to make a difference. The activity was fun, simple and impactful. I believe that it is events like these that really help get others engaged and show how easy it is to do good.

-Tzviatko Chiderov, ONE Member, Twin Cities

Inclined to meet with Rep. Kline’s staff

Apr 22nd, 2009 1:22 PM EST
By Field

This morning I met with Katherine Bueche, District Outreach Coordinator for Representative John Kline’s office, covering Minnesota’s second district (the southern suburbs of the Twin Cities) and home to 3,900 ONE members.

One of the meeting’s main objectives was introducing ONE and the goals of the international advocacy organization. As ONE members, we ask our elected leaders for their support on bipartisan acts that work towards an end to extreme poverty and preventable and treatable diseases in developing countries. Additionally, we raise awareness on these issues within our communities, and I was pleased to be able to relate to Ms. Bueche the actions that local members have participated in recently. From phoning our elected leaders and attending in-district visits, to participating in various public events and service projects around the Twin Cities, such as one which was hosted last fall by ONE in which local ONE members were joined by Cindy McCain and Laura Bush in the assembly of care giver kits that were later distributed to medical workers in various African countries.

This meeting was also to bring attention to and request Rep. Kline’s support on two items: the Newborn, Child, and Mother Survival Act of 2009 and the President’s International Affairs Budget request, which will continue former President’s Bush’s legacy of PEPFAR and many other international programs. I thanked Ms. Buechefor Rep. Kline’s support for the PEPFAR reauthorization in 2008, and outlined the challenges currently faced with y International Affairs Budget in the House, and requested that Rep. Kline express his support for $53.8 billion, as requested by the President.

As a decorated Marine who served in Somalia, and more recently through his visits to our troops, I hope that Rep. Kline recognizes that meeting the President’s budget request and investing in our aid commitments today not only helps the world’s poorest people and saves lives by providing medicines, clean water, and develops sustained economic growth, but also that these efforts also keeps developing countries stable. Furthermore, our funding and generosity will create allies, strengthen our own national security, and provide diplomacy and peacekeeping efforts where they are needed.

As earlier noted, I also requested that Rep. Kline sign on as a co-sponsor of H.R. 1410, the Newborn, Child, and Mother Survival Act of 2009 which was reintroduced by Rep. McCollum and is co-sponsored by a number of his other Minnesota congressional colleagues. As a mother, I can barely imagine the horror faced by other women raising their families in developing countries, and know that many must choose which child to feed and which ones will sleep under malaria protecting bed nets. If implemented, the Newborn, Child, and Mother Act will prevent many millions of needless deaths.

These two requests submitted to Rep. Kline for his support addresses these issues and so many more. With the challenges we face, programs that address multiple needs is the smart and the right thing for our leaders to call for. As a second district constituent, I am thankful for and appreciate the time Ms. Bueche spent listening on behalf of Rep. Kline and I hope that he recognizes the opportunities before us, and that we can continue discussing these issues with his office throughout his term.

-Rochelle Gibbs, ONE Member

Twin Cities Members Talk with Congressman Ellison’s Staff

Apr 9th, 2009 5:26 PM EST
By Field

On Monday, Minneapolis ONE members gathered together to meet with a community representative, Alison Harris, of Congressman Keith Ellison’s District Office. The volunteers represented teachers, students, handypersons, business people, and classical musicians, just a small sampling of the more than 5,400 members of ONE in Minnesota’s 5th district who have a keen interest in eliminating extreme poverty and treating preventable disease in the poorest nations on earth.

Some had been ONE members for only several months and others had been volunteering for several years. They all came together to ask for Congressman Ellison’s support for the President’s budget request of $53.8 billion dollars for the International Affairs account, which funds proven and effective development programs that save lives around the world. In addition the members asked the Congressman to co-sponsor the Newborn, Child and Mother Survival Act, which was introduced by Congresswoman McCollum of Minnesota’s 4th District. The discussion was great and the requests were well received. We appreciate Alison taking the time to meet with us, and we will be sure to stay in touch with Congressman Ellison’s office in the future!

-Nadja Gale, ONE Twin Cities Member

Senator Klobuchar on Empowering Women

Apr 2nd, 2009 5:57 PM EST
By Libby Crimmings

Senator Amy Klobuchar has been an active supporter of ONE and during the ONE Vote ‘08 campaign she became our official state co-chair for Minnesota. There are over 38,000 ONE members in Minnesota and the volunteers have done many amazing things in the past.

Check out this letter to the editor that Senator Klobuchar wrote. We are very fortunate for Senator Klobuchar’s ongoing support and are thrilled for this piece.

Excerpts below, full letter here

Of the 1.2 billion people living in poverty around the world, 70 percent are women. According to a 2008 progress report on the Millennium Development Goals , more than 500,000 women in developing countries still die each year from complications of childbirth. These conditions are shameful.

Today, far too many women across the world face oppression and violence simply because of their gender. Too many women are treated as second-class citizens when it comes to their health. And too many young girls are denied the education they need to succeed.

-Libby Crimmings

Twin Cities Members Meet with Rep. Mc Collum’s Office

Mar 6th, 2009 6:10 PM EST
By Libby Crimmings

This morning Joe Leyba, Kathy Stinchfield, and I had a meeting with Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s Chief of Staff, Bill Harper. Mr. Harper is familiar with ONE, which has almost 5,000 members in Minnesota’s fourth district and over 38,000 in Minnesota. We were excited to update him all the great things ONE members have been doing in the Twin Cities as well as around the country!

We thanked Representative McCollum for her ongoing support and leadership in past legislation such as Jubilee, Education for all, PEPFAR, and the Global Child Survival Act. Rep. McCollum will reintroduce later the bill now called ‘Newborn, Child, and Mother Survival Act of 2009’ to the house this coming week, Senator Dodd is also scheduled to introduce it to the Senate.

We also addressed a few policy issues with Mr. Harper for this year’s congress: We encouraged Rep. McCollum to support President Obama’s 2010 Budget requests for International Affairs and continue her active engagement in the reauthorization of the foreign assistance act. ONE also supports the Lugar-Casey ‘Global Food Security’ Act which Rep. McCollum will introduce to the house. We again thanked her for her leadership and committed to help advocate for this bill.

Mr. Harper is extremely knowledgeable on the issues and said Rep. McCollum’s major focuses this year will be on Maternal and child health, reinvesting in Agriculture development as well as elevating development in foreign aid reform. He thanked us for our commitment to fight extreme poverty and support these important issues through grassroots organization.

It was a great meeting and we sincerely appreciate Mr. Harper taking the time to speak with us today!

-Libby Crimmings, Joe Leyba & Kathy Stinchfield

Congresswoman McCollum Speaks to RESULTS

Mar 4th, 2009 10:27 AM EST
By Field

We went to the RESULTS event in St. Paul, MN last Saturday which was held in a church basement. Looking around the room and hearing the energy in people’s voices, we realized that we had never seen so many activists and “do-gooders” in one place before!

We got to learn about RESULTS and hear one of their volunteer’s amazing story. Having lived in Africa and seen social, political and moral injustices first hand, she decided that she wanted to learn more about how she could make a difference and take a step forward towards doing what is right. It was inspiring.

The best part of the event however was hearing the keynote speaker, Congresswoman Betty McCollum, passionately talk about the issues of poverty. We were sitting towards the front of the room and upon seeing our ONE t-shirts she recognized us, saying that she often works with ONE in Washington. She came up to me, put her hand on my shoulder and said “Thanks for being here, I know you guys will help with the maternal health bill that I’m working on in Washington”. Congresswoman McCollum spoke about poverty and how important it was that volunteers are standing up for the voiceless and faceless victims of it all around the world. Betty McCollum talked about some of the successes in the fight against poverty and noted the importance of helping our “neighbors, not just across the street or across the river, but across the ocean”.

We gave Rep. Betty McCollum a ONE wristband and thanked her for her continued support. She thanked us for ONE’s work and said that it was always nice to see ONE volunteers coming out and showing fresh energy in the fight against extreme poverty.

We left the event reassured that our elected leaders care and that with their support we can truly make a difference.

-Tzviatko Chiderov and Reena Dhake, ONE Twin Cities Members

Feedback from Senator Klobuchar

Mar 2nd, 2009 11:36 AM EST
By Libby Crimmings

Last week, volunteer Rochelle Gibbs stopped by the office of Senator Klobuchar- our state co-chair- to drop off a packet of info with updates about ONE in Minnesota and across the country. The packet also included a meeting request for local members to discuss the United States commitments on Foreign Aid with the Senator.

Today, Rochelle received a statement from Senator Klobuchar in response to the packet:

I want to thank ONE Campaign members for your tireless efforts to bring attention to the urgent issue of extreme poverty throughout the developing world. As a State Co-Chair in 2008, I had the privilege of meeting some of Minnesota’s 38,000 ONE Campaign members and seeing firsthand your passion and commitment to ending global poverty and fighting preventable disease.

We are a global community and it’s our moral responsibility to speak out whenever we see injustice and suffering. I share your commitment and I look forward to working with President Obama, my colleagues in the Senate and all of you to do everything we can to help achieve this goal.

-Senator Amy Klobuchar

We are excited and encouraged by the Senators words and ongoing support. We look forward to working with her in the coming year!

Also, thank you Rochelle and all of our other amazing volunteers across the country for taking the time to personally stop by our Congress members’ offices to encourage their commitments and support! Keep up the great work!

-Libby Crimmings