ONE » Minnesota

Looking back at the U2 Minneapolis show

Libby Crimmings — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:55:38 +0000

Recently ONE members in Minnesota gathered at the Gophers stadium to walk around at talk to U2 concertgoers about fighting extreme poverty through advocacy with ONE. Some members were seasoned and some were brand new. All worked hard and had a good experience knowing they were recruiting new members to a campaign we are all very passionate about. After the event I asked a few volunteers if they could share a few thoughts on their experience with me….

“What an experience! Standing in the pouring rain listening to amazing music and knowing that hundreds of people in the crowd just signed up to hear about how we can give a voice to the world’s poorest people and people suffering from preventable disease truly left me speechless. Thank you to everyone who joined the campaign!” -Molly McDougal

“Working with ONE during the Minneapolis U2 concert was an experience of a lifetime. Being able to educate and encourage the community to join the efforts of ONE gave great fulfillment and happiness and has driven me to further strive to promote the global fight against poverty.” -Lauren Baker

“I had a stronger connection to the global community as a volunteer for ONE at the U2 concert in Minneapolis. As I walked among the people in the general admissions line I soon discovered that all six continents were represented when signing them up to be members of ONE. It was great to chat with people who had an interest in joining their voices with ONE to help strengthen the mission in combating global poverty.

Even before and during the concert we were connecting with the people around us. They were interested in learning more about ONE since we were still in our T-Shirts. We may have started as strangers, but before the night was over we were friends.

As the night went on, Bono did is part in bringing awareness to the realities around the world. He took moments to sensitize the audience to critical situations like the drought and famine epidemic in the Horn of Africa. His compassionate and humble spirit really touches the crowd that probably caused more people to join ONE after the concert ended.

Overall it was a great day being a volunteer with ONE. And after coming home soaking wet from the rain, I can say it was pleasure to share a community shower with U2 and about 60,000 of my global neighbors!” -Heather Cannon-Winkelman

What’s happening in the Horn of Africa was particularly poignant given the significant Somali Diaspora community in the Minneapolis area. We were so pleased to see that Bono met with K’naan and Somali-born Minnesotans with Neighbors for Nations to discuss the crisis and draw attention to the urgent needs.

Gov. Pawlenty back in Minnesota

Field — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 22:11:44 +0000

It’s been a while since I last had the opportunity to see former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty in person. The last time was when he led a bipartisan press conference declaring Minnesota a ONE State during the summer of 2008, committing to help those living in developing countries escape extreme poverty and preventable diseases.

Gov. Pawlenty signs Rochelle’s copy of his book, “Courage to Stand.”

I stopped in to see him yesterday. He is starting a new tour for his book “Courage to Stand” back in Minnesota. I am very pleased to see that he acknowledged the urgency of issues like HIV/AIDS and global poverty in his book, reminding Americans to help care for others using the “gifts God has given.”

I thanked Gov. Pawlenty for his ongoing support and also asked him to check out Michael Gerson’s great piece on vaccines that was posted that morning in the Washington Post.

While it is still unknown what his future pursuits will be, I am happy to know that he does have the courage stand up for the worlds poorest and most vulnerable people. Thank you, Gov. Pawlenty, for always making time for ONE and the world’s poorest people!

-Rochelle Gibbs, ONE Congressional District Leader

ONE rocks the house at Twin Cities Maroon 5 show

Field — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 22:00:47 +0000

Last night at the Maroon 5 concert, ONE volunteers from Minneapolis, Minnesota signed up 721 new members — we totally rocked it out! We had a powerhouse of volunteers, and about half were college students, a couple high school students and a handful of our everyday volunteers. We covered the entire Target Center, and not one out of the 5,500 people that attended last night’s concert did not see a ONE volunteer trying to get people to commit their voices to help the world’s poorest people!

Ry Cummings, the opening musician, came up to our table after his performance and thanked us for all the AMAZING work that we have been doing for the world’s poorest people. We then got a sticker on him and a band in his hand and we took a group picture. He thanked us and asked all of the screaming girls that were around us to sign up to fight for the against poverty before getting a picture with him.

Maroon 5 gave us a shout out from stage, telling everyone about how great we were and that we are doing amazing work. We had a great night and really showed how AWESOME ONE Twin Cities volunteers are!

-Steven Thai, regional college director, ONE

Recap: August recess meet ‘n greets

Field — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:57:05 +0000

ONE members across the country are using the August recess as an opportunity to meet with their congressional leaders to advocate for the world’s poorest people. So far, ONE members have attended more than 45 meetings with their senators or house representatives. Here’s a compilation of some of last week’s visits:

ONE member Steve with a member of Sen. Nelson’s staff

Meeting at Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson’s Omaha Office
Recently, I met with one of Sen. Ben Nelson’s, (D-Neb.), staff members, Patrick Leahy. After briefly discussing ONE’s history, agenda and the strong membership we have here in Nebraska, we got on to some more urgent matters. I asked that Nelson sign the Lugar-Casey letter in support of the Global Food Security Act and increase funding for GAVI and the Global Fund.

I asked Patrick to relay our thanks to Nelson for his support in these areas. I also told him that we are aware and proud of Nelson’s important position on the appropriations committee and how lucky we are to have him representing Nebraska.

- Steve White, ONE Nebraska

ONE members at Sen. Klobuchar’s office

Meeting with Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s St. Paul Office
ONE Congressional District Leader Reena Dhake and I headed over to Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s, (D-Minn.), Twin Cities office, where we met with State Director John Kavanagh to discuss ways to help improve the lives of millions of people living in extreme poverty.

Klobuchar supports both ONE and the issues we focus on. During the meeting, we commended the senator for her efforts, including her cosponsorship of the Global Food Security Act.

We also asked the senator to add her name to the Casey-Lugar letter in support of this legislation.

–Rochelle Gibbs and Reena Dhake, ONE Minnesota

ONE member Steve with a member of Sen. Nelson’s staff

Meeting with Sen. Barbara Boxer’s Fresno Office
My husband Ryan and I had the privilege of meeting with Sen. Barbara Boxer’s, (D-Calif.), Fresno office.

State Director Thomas Bohigian and Ameen Khan, the director of Central and Eastern California, were extremely gracious with their time and attention. We all agreed that because the world’s poorest people often find themselves silenced by the circumstances of their lives, it is vital that concerned citizens continue to raise awareness on their behalf.

We asked Bohigian and Khan to thank the senator for her efforts to represent the interest of the world’s poorest, including cosponsoring PEPFAR and the Water for the World Act. We asked that Boxer continue to show her support as we look ahead to the Global Fund’s replenishment conference in October. We also asked that she sign the Lugar-Casey letter in support of the Global Food Security Act.

The senator’s track record for supporting aid legislation is excellent, and we walked away with a sense that Boxer’s office is very empathetic to the plight of those enslaved by extreme poverty.

- Rebekah Townsend, ONE California

Meeting with Berkley’s Office

Meeting with Rep. Shelley Berkley’s Las Vegas Office
I met with district representatives Jan Churchill and Nikki Koval at Rep. Shelley Berkley’s, (D-Nev.), district office in Las Vegas, Nevada – and even briefly met the congresswoman.

We discussed the Global Fund and GAVI. I asked that Berkley do all that she can to build bipartisan support for increased funding of both programs in the House.

It is my sincere hope that although this week’s in-district meetings have happened in Vegas, they don’t stay here. Perhaps what happens in Vegas can be one small part of a concerted effort to change the world for the better and save lives.

- Adam Bellamy, ONE Nevada

Meeting with Sen. Al Franken’s Twin Cities Office
Yesterday, ONE member Rochelle Gibbs and I had a meeting with Sen. Al Franken’s, (D-Minn.), deputy state director, Daniel Fanning. We delivered a large thank you on behalf of ONE and its members in Minnesota for Franken’s leadership and dedication in the fight to end extreme poverty and preventable disease.

We asked Daniel to have the senator sign the Casey-Lugar letter in support of the Global Food Security Act to overhaul U.S. agricultural assistance efforts and help developing nations become more self-sufficient in their food production. Daniel informed us that they are in the process of looking into signing onto the letter at this time, so it was great to hear about the support from ONE.

We told the Senator to support a strong, three-year, $6 billion U.S. pledge to the Global Fund at the replenishment conference in October. We also told him to urge the appropriations committee to keep the Senate-approved funding level for GAVI at $105 million.

- Steven R. Thai, ONE Minnesota

ONE members at Sen. Reid’s office

Meeting with Sen. Harry Reid’s Las Vegas Office
It was an exciting morning as local ONE volunteers Renee Meyocks and Amber McIntosh and I met with Sen. Harry Reid’s, (D-Nev.), Regional Representative, Charvez Foger, at his downtown Las Vegas office.

We were honored to have the chance to share our passion for ONE’s goals and discuss the Global Food Security Act, GAVI and the Global Fund. Charvez made it clear that Reid is a proponent of international development and assistance, and exhibited a keen interest in what we had to say.

Charvez told us that at some point next year, Reid would like to hold an international development summit, inviting volunteers and officials from diverse nonprofit organizations (including ONE) and high-ranking representatives from the State Department to engage in a dialogue on these issues.

This news was very exciting to us. We are always looking for ways to highlight and debate international development issues locally so that our fellow Americans and government officials understand that global issues are also local issues.

- Adam Bellamy, ONE Nevada

Talking about Malaria in Minnesota

Field — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:17:55 +0000

Shortly after having our workshop and meet up for “The Lazaurs Effect”, ONE members in Minnesota gathered to learn about malaria. Despite the many things going on in the Twin Cities this weekend, we had a great turn out and 18 members took time out of a beautiful summer afternoon to hear about how they can help eradicate malaria!

I took what I learned from being part of the Malaria Griot Project and presented on what the disease is, it’s impact, history, treatment and prevention methods as well as how people can get involved. Along with this information on malaria, I touched on The Global Fund. Many of our members were interested in learning more about The Global Fund after hearing about it during “The Lazarus Effect” meet up. I told them about the effect The Global Fund has on combatting malaria and how important telling our representatives that we support it will be in the coming months.

We even had an engaging discussion at the end, where several new and familiar faces talked about ways they can help. I had several new faces tell me afterwards that they are looking forward to future events and meeting with our congress-people and senators during the August recess! I am so happy to kick-off my year-long plan for fighting malaria with so much support and enthusiasm from my fellow ONE Twin Cities members!

-Reena Dhake – ONE Twin Cities Congressional District Leader and Malaria Griot

Meeting up in the Twin Cities

Libby Crimmings — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:41:22 +0000

Despite team USA playing in the World Cup at the exact same time, many ONE members in the Twin Cities fought construction and attended the workshop and film screening of “The Lazarus Effect” this Saturday. We had a great group of people who were passionate about fighting global poverty, mostly already active with ONE and other organizations and were hungry for info and to take action!

We gave away some cool ONE stuff like t-shirts, bands and books in addition to some great product (RED) stuff that Starbucks on the University of Minnesota’s campus was kind enough to donate for our amazing volunteers.

In addition to passion there was a lot of personal experience to share. A couple attendees are originally from Kenya & Ethiopia, and one person had lived in Liberia so it was great to hear their experiences and motivations. One man said he was so impressed that a group would spend all day together talking about people living in poverty, on the other side of the world, that they will never meet and trying to help by writing letters to our congress members.

Another attendee has been a student leader for the ONE Campus Challenge for many years and was selected to go on a trip to Kenya last summer with ONE. We watched a short video of the trip and heard about his experience and how it reinforced what he has always been so passionate about.

I can’t say enough about this great group of people, their energy and spirit was amazing. I was supposed to be the one “teaching” that day but I came away even more motivated and inspired. I look forward to fighting the good fight with these awesome volunteers in Minnesota!

Join us in Minnesota!

Rochelle Gibbs — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 19:03:34 +0000

Summer is in full swing in Minnesota! And this summer offers more than usual because a ONE workshop and screening of the (RED) movie “The Lazarus Effect” is planned for this Saturday right here in the Twin Cities!

My colleagues in volunteer advocacy and I couldn’t be more excited! We have been busy sending emails, making phone calls, and connecting with local businesses to secure door prizes and help get the word out that Minnesotans can and do make a difference in the lives of those who live in extreme poverty by taking action locally! With support from a number of local businesses the energy leading up to this event has been tremendous.

I’m looking forward to reacquainting with veteran ONE campaigners, meeting new members, and pooling together our like minds and common goals. During the workshop, ONE staff will share valuable resources towards ending extreme poverty and preventable diseases in developing countries and then afterwards, we will be inspi(red) by a special screening.

It will be a great advocacy opportunity with something for everyone! Join us at the workshop and then the screening of The Lazarus Effect.

Daughtry, ONE Twin Cities and Minnesota Gather Momentum!

Field — Tue, 25 May 2010 17:56:27 +0000

As Daughtry’s enthusiastic fans began arriving at Target Center on Wednesday evening, they were met by equally enthusiastic ONE Twin Cities volunteers.

Considering that Minnesotans traditionally volunteer at higher rates than the national average, ONE Twin Cities members were met with a receptive audience. After fairly brief and engaging conversations, concertgoers cheerfully pledged their support, and sported their new ONE wristbands!

Although each volunteer has a unique voice, unique words, unique story to tell, sharing Bono’s words captures the essence of their messages: “These goals—clean water for all; school for every child; medicine for the afflicted, an end to extreme and senseless poverty—these are not just any goals; they are the Millennium Development goals, which this country supports. And they are more than that. They are the Beatitudes for a Globalised World.”

ONE volunteers are proud to have added another 231 members this week and thank their fellow Minnesotans for sharing in the vision!

–Kris Jernigan, ONE Twin Cities Member

A picnic with bed nets

Field — Mon, 03 May 2010 22:02:21 +0000

This year for World Malaria Day in the Twin Cities we organized a picnic under bed nets. It was a great day to spend in the park while raising awareness about malaria and the impact an individual’s voice can make. Despite the heavy winds practically blowing the bed nets away, we had intimate discussions on the disease and its impact in developing countries.

At our ONE event, we promoted Malaria No More’s TEN campaign to raise awareness that only $10 buys a bed net that can protect a family from malaria. In addition, attendees had the opportunity to see an actual bed net – one of the most effective prevention tools in the fight against malaria. We also partnered with World Vision to provide attendees with postcards to mail to their representatives, in an effort to make them aware that they, as constituents, care about solving the global problem of malaria.

Our members enjoyed learning about malaria and had a great day in the park! I was excited to see people from so many different ages and walks of life participate and show the initiative to help end malaria deaths.

-Reena Dhake, ONE Twin Cities volunteer

Delivering in Minnesota

Field — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:43:33 +0000

Yesterday, ONE member Rochelle Gibbs and I delivered petitions signed by 658 Minnesotans to the offices of Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken. These petitions request that each Senator sign the bipartisan letter asking Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Ranking Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) of the Budget Committee to uphold the administration’s Fiscal Year 2011 request of $58.5 billion dollars to the International Affairs Budget.

Rochelle and I met with staff assistants Maria Laverdiere (Sen.Klobuchar) and Adam Yust (Sen. Franken). They graciously accepted the signed petitions and promised to deliver them promptly to the appropriate people to review individually with the Senators.

I do not sign petitions lightly or volunteer to support organizations unless I truly believe it is the right thing to do. Even in tough economic times, I could not feel more strongly about our country supporting ONE’s efforts to fight poverty and disease globally. Knowing that I made a small difference by stepping forward to represent the face of ONE today is truly a delightful honor for which I am very grateful.

-Peggy Moon, Minnesota ONE Member