U2’s spaceship landed in Pittsburgh, Penn., this past Tuesday for the final show of their US tour. As with previous shows, we had a group of very excited and energetic ONE volunteers ready to greet the fans. From the general admission line, to tailgaters in the parking lots, volunteers spent the afternoon speaking with fans about ONE and explaining how they can help eliminate extreme poverty by using their voices.

“ONE doesn’t want your money, we want your VOICE” could be heard from all around the stadium. After a long afternoon we had well over 3,000 new ONE members!

During the show, Bono — ONE’s cofounder, thanked the volunteers and all the fans who had signed up. He also told the crowd that because of ONE members’ hard work and dedication, US investments have provided funding to put 5 million Africans on antiretroviral treatments!

Thank you Pittsburgh for an absolutely magnificent day! If you’d like to learn more about what ONE is doing in and around the Pittsburgh area, please visit ONE’s Mid-Atlantic Facebook page.

-Barb Barrar, ONE Congressional District leader

ONE members Kristine Becker, Pastor Matt Staniz, Rev. Sunny Hallanan and Teri Ruiz with James Fitzpatrick (center), Senator Toomey’s regional manager for SE Pennsylvania.

Our conversation began with recognition that local volunteers signed up 2,851 new ONE members at the Philadelphia U2 concert on July 14 along with a celebration of Bono’s announcement that there are now 5 million people receiving life-saving treatment for HIV/AIDS.

During the meeting we talked about ONE’s priorities for the upcoming budget year: childhood vaccinations, ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and effective investments in agriculture. We discussed the amazing stories that are now being shared with the world through Living Proof (a partnership between ONE and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation). We recognized that Senator Toomey entered the Senate at a very exciting time in the world with regard to the effort to end extreme poverty and preventable disease.

Our discussion centered around the less than 1 percent of the budget that is saving millions of lives, helping people earn their way out of poverty, and providing important support to America’s national security through investment in development.

As Senator Toomey continues to take a leadership role in America’s need to pass a budget that is shaped by responsible choices during a time of economic challenges, we were encouraged to hear that programs including the Presidents Emergency Program for AIDS Relief, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the Global Alliance for Vaccinations and Immunizations, and investments in agriculture were viewed by the senator as both needed efforts and effective investments in the future that deserve to be funded according to the commitments that have already been promised.

Thank you very much to Senator Toomey and his staff for taking time to continue America’s effective and compassionate work to help the world’s poorest people.

-Pastor Matt Staniz, ONE member, Pennsylvania

This weekend I was fortunate enough to spend some time with an amazing group of ONE members from across the Tri-State area at a workshop in Philadelphia, Penn. As with the rest of the ONE advocacy workshops going on across the country, we enjoyed a a candid conversation about education, awareness and advocacy for ONE’s issues.

I was extremely impressed with the group’s questions throughout the workshop. They became even more engaged after viewing some Living Proof clips.

Everyone in attendance was very active in sharing ideas about how to recruit ONE members, influence others, make their voices heard and spread the word about global poverty and disease.

This group was also very anxious to get involved and take action. Everyone in attendance wrote letters to their senators to tell them that with current funding, America has already saved 4 million people with life-saving AIDS treatments, vaccinated nearly 300 million children over the last 10 years against deadly diseases, and supported agricultural initiatives that help millions lift themselves out of poverty.

Pastor Matt Staniz explains to ONE members the role Faith can play in advocacy.

We were able to do all of this for less than 1 percent of the federal budget. They also made sure to urge their senators to please continue to appropriate life-saving programs like the Global Fund, PEPFAR, GAVI and sustainable agriculture programs — and fight against any more cuts.

This was a terrific workshop! I want to thank Pastor Matt Staniz of Temple Lutheran Church and Congressional District Leader Barb Barrar for their help and leadership throughout the workshop!

ONE volunteers had an absolutely “beautiful day” on Thursday at the U2 show in Philadelphia, Penn. ONE members from around the Tri-State area converged on the Lincoln Financial Field grounds to share information about ONE and our fight against extreme poverty and preventable, treatable diseases in Africa.

All their hard work resulted in ONE gaining 2,851 new members! Here is what a few ONE volunteers had to say about the day’s experience:

“It was exciting and encouraging to see the commitment and enthusiasm of the volunteers as they worked to expand ONE’s voice. As we interacted with the crowds arriving for the concert, it quickly became clear that people not only care about ending extreme poverty and preventable diseases, but are willing to support the life-saving work that is needed to make it happen.” -Pastor Matt Staniz

“It was really cool working with ONE and meeting so many great people who were willing to step up and sign up to help the world’s poorest people. I even had a chance to speak about ONE on air with a local radio DJ. It was an amazing day that I will never forget!” -Steven Hummel

“Being on stage during ‘Walk On,’ I realized how powerful a movement ONE really is. If we, as Americans, stand united with our brothers and sisters around the world, we can end extreme poverty in our lifetime. This is our generations’ civil rights movement!” -Brian Thomas

Way to go, Philadelphia!

If you are interested in learning more about what is going on with ONE in the Philadelphia area, please visit the ONE Mid-Atlantic Facebook page.

-Barb Barrar, Congressional District leader for New Jersey’s 1st District

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a documentary film screening and panel discussion of “Enemies of Happiness” (film trailer below) in Philadelphia.

The event was organized in part by Women’s Campaign International (WCI), which was founded in 1998 by former Pennsylvania Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies to help women around the world, including several African nations, find their voices by giving them tangible skills in areas such as leadership, public speaking, media relations, grassroots organizing, campaign strategies, voter outreach and mobilization, polling, policy analysis and fund raising.

WCI has worked with political leaders, activists, advocacy groups and non-profit partner organizations to ensure that women have a legitimate opportunity to participate in the development of public policy and to ensure that women’s issues are placed on local, national and regional agendas. With the help of local civil society organizations, WCI is able to tailor its programs to fit the needs, culture and abilities of women in each country.

I had the chance to speak with Ms. Margolies after the event and to my delight, she was already familiar with ONE. She mentioned having met Bob Geldolf a number of years ago and speaking briefly with him about ONE’s efforts to help the poorest people on earth to rise up out of poverty. Ms. Margolies immediately put on the ONE band I presented her with and was eager to learn more about becoming involved with ONE in Pennsylvania and beyond.

-Barb Barrar, ONE Congressional District Leader, New Jersey

Today was a momentous day for the students at the University of Pittsburgh. As they continue to battle it out in the ONE Campus Challenge, they had a banner week raising awareness for the budget crisis as it moves toward the Senate. Capping off a day spent submitting more than 75 letters and calls to Pennsylvania’s Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey, the students received official recognition naming the University of Pittsburgh as a “Campus of ONE” from that university’s student government organization.

An important milestone -– this accolade means a lot to the students involved and makes a broader statement to the overall student body. The University of Pittsburgh community is committed to the world’s poorest people at an absolutely crucial time for our active outreach on these issues.

I asked Pastor Matt what ONE means to him and this was his response:
“The ONE Campaign is a vital movement in the world today. It reflects the type of love that we must have for each other: a love that is reflected in justice, equality, and action. It is through working as ONE to end extreme poverty and preventable disease that I can look at the needs in the world and become part of a real solution. As a person of faith, I am convinced that raising a voice on behalf of the poor is how faith creates action and charity leads to justice. ONE provides actions that allow concern for the poor to lead to real change.”

Pastor Matt also recently joined me in Washington and met with ONE staff. He made some remarks regarding the experience:

I recently had an opportunity that I wish could be shared with every ONE volunteer. During a visit to Washington D.C., I was able to spend a morning at the ONE U.S. offices and see first-hand the energy, expertise and effort behind ONE’s work on behalf of the world’s poorest people. I was invited to participate in the daily “morning huddle” led by Mike Henry, ONE’s Senior Director of U.S. Field Operations. Listening to the conversation, it was clear to me that the team’s passion to end extreme poverty and preventable disease was matched by their proficiency and talent for advocacy. After huddling as a team, everyone went immediately and energetically into their part of ONE’s work. I also had the chance to meet ONE’s U.S. Executive Director Sheila Nix and ONE’s President and CEO, David Lane. Both were very grateful for the work of ONE volunteers across the U.S. and around the world.

By visiting ONE and interacting with the staff and leaders, I have learned how to be a more effective advocate myself. I know more about the issues ONE is committed to. I have discovered new ways to communicate ONE’s important message. I am also energized by the passion of ONE’s staff and find great encouragement in knowing that so many talented and committed people stand with me as I stand with the world’s poorest people.

If you are a ONE member, I encourage you to connect with your partners on the ONE staff. And if you can make it to Capitol Hill to do some ONE advocacy, be sure to schedule a visit to the ONE offices. It is tremendously rewarding to witness what happens on a daily basis as ONE goes to work on behalf of the world’s poorest people.

It has been an inspirational pleasure to stand side by side with Pastor Matt advocating for the world’s most vulnerable people!

On the first day of the 112th Congress, I joined ONE members from across the US on Capitol Hill. I traveled from Pennsylvania with ONE Regional Field Director Brian Sweeney in hopes of congratulating newly-elected Senator Pat Toomey on behalf of Pennsylvania’s 71,976 ONE members and to thank him for taking time to talk to us and other Pennsylvania ONE members during his campaign. Both Brian and I were prepared for the reality that meeting with the senator would be difficult — perhaps even impossible — on such a busy day. The two events scheduled for the senator to receive guests were both expecting full-capacity crowds. We knew, however, that it was worth the extra effort to speak with Senator Toomey about his opportunity to make a difference for the poorest people in the world.

Meeting Senator Toomey on his first day in office turned out to be much easier than we could have imagined. We stopped by the senator’s office to offer congratulations and drop off some information about ONE. Fortunately, Senator Toomey was in the office with his family as he prepared to be sworn in. He saw us in the office and graciously stopped to say hello. We spoke with him about the conversations we had on the campaign trail, congratulated him and thanked him for taking time for ONE.

Having accomplished more than I expected, we were also excited to have extra time to visit the office of Pennsylvania’s senior Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. After speaking with Senator Casey’s staff about his leadership on issues important to ONE members, I was surprised when Senator Casey came out of a meeting room and immediately invited us to walk with him on his way to the Senate chamber! We spoke at length about Casey’s leadership on issues important to ONE members and our commitment to help create the political will to make such leadership succeed. Senator Casey recognized the vital work that ONE members are doing in the fight against extreme poverty and pledged his continued leadership.

-Pastor Matt Staniz, PA ONE Member, Temple Lutheran Church Havertown

Live in Pennsylvania? Join ONE’s Mid-Atlantic Region Facebook Group.

Yesterday, I was glad to have the opportunity to go backstage and speak with Pennsylvania Senate candidate Pat Toomey at a campaign stop near my home in suburban Philadelphia.

I thanked him for taking the time to speak with me about the important issues that ONE hopes will be priorities for Pennsylvania’s next senator. I explained to Mr. Toomey that the people in my church have been actively interested and involved in fighting poverty and preventable diseases and have found ONE to be a valuable partner in our efforts. I expressed my hope that he would continue the strong American leadership that has saved millions of lives in Africa.

Mr. Toomey shared his desire to see affordable treatments reach people with HIV/AIDS, and expressed his support for effective aid. I shared that ONE speaks out for aid that requires accountability, transparency and real results. Mr. Toomey recalled AIDS relief efforts that he supported as a member of the House of Representatives for just those reasons. He also expressed his gratitude to ONE for working hard on behalf of the world’s poorest people.

I want to once again thank Pat Toomey for taking time during the frantic hours leading up to Election Day to speak with me about ONE.

-Pastor Matt Staniz, ONE member, Pennsylvania

CDL Barb Barrar with ONE members and Rep. Sestak

Last night, at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., ONE members attended a rally with Representative Joe Sestak featuring former President Bill Clinton. In their brief engagements with the former president and congressman, our members were sure to underscore the importance of continued bipartisan US leadership that has now saved more than 5 million lives in some of the poorest places on earth. They also took the opportunity to thank President Clinton for all his work to help save lives in Africa and Haiti.

ONE member Barb Barrar also made clear to Rep. Sestak that right now, more than ever, the next senator from Pennsylvania needs to understand that saving lives in Africa is a moral priority and helps foster a safer and more secure world. As the final hours of this campaign season wind down, I encourage all ONE members to be active at campaign events between now and Election Day.

With only a few days left, your voice with ONE is more important than ever as we continue the fight against extreme poverty. Urgent action will be needed after the election, so stay tuned to the ONE Blog.

Please visit our Mid-Atlantic Region Facebook group and follow ONE Regional Field Director Brian Sweeney on Twitter.