Pastor Matt Staniz and RFD Brian Sweeney with Sen. Bob Casey
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.
Pastor Matt Staniz and RFD Brian Sweeney Congratulating Sen. Pat Toomey
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
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.
ONE is hitting the campaign trail to find out where candidates stand on extreme poverty. Stay tuned for more updates like these from our field team and organizers on the road.
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.
ONE is hitting the campaign trail to find out where candidates stand on extreme poverty. Stay tuned for more updates like these from our field team and organizers on the road.
Yesterday, MSNBC’s “Hardball with Chris Matthews” was live from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., right after visiting the University of Illinois at Chicago’s campus on Wednesday!
Pennsylvania ONE members joined students in waving ONE signs and wearing ONE T-shirts to help rally Americans in the fight against extreme poverty and AIDS in Africa. We spoke with Chris Matthews before the taping, and he was amazed to see ONE members again and told us “Wow! We just ran into ONE in Chicago!”
We were able to catch up with U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Joe Sestak after his interview, and I thanked him for his past support for many of ONE’s legislative priorities – like helping to reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and cosponsoring the Water for the World Act. While walking with him, I emphasized the importance of these life-saving programs in the developing world, and encouraged him to continue his leadership for the world’s poorest people if elected to the Senate. Sestak thanked me, happily accepted a ONE band and posed for a quick picture for the ONE blog. Rep. Sestak also remarked how he sees ONE everywhere and even remembered me by name! And it’s true — he has seen ONE members everywhere on the trail who encourage continued American leadership in the developing world.
As we were getting ready to leave the event, we were fortunate enough to catch up with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, too! I thanked the Governor on behalf of over 79,000 Pennsylvania ONE members for declaring Pennsylvania a “ONE State.” He smiled, gladly put on a ONE band and said, “I just received one of these in Iowa!”
Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell was in Iowa this weekend as the keynote speakers at the annual Jefferson Jackson dinner in Des Moines. I wanted to talk to him about ONE and our Global Fund campaign, knowing he has probably seen the many awesome ONE members in Pennsylvania.
I wanted to tell him that as a mother, I believe all babies should be born happy and healthy. I wanted to ask him to go back to Pennsylvania and work with his US Congress members to make sure that the President’s recent $4 billion commitment to the Global Fund becomes a reality starting in the budget and appropriations process next year.
These are all the things I wanted to say, but when the governor was being whisked away after his speech I only had 2 seconds to say thank you for your support, shake his hand and give him a ONE band. When he realized what it was, he smiled held it up and gave me a nod.
I know he didn’t get everything I was thinking just from handing him a ONE band but I am sure when he goes home and sees ONE members in Pennsylvania he will remember all the things he said in his speech about giving people opportunities and that he will remember the US’s efforts in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease and all of the work that ONE members take in his home state.
ONE is hitting the campaign trail to find out where candidates stand on extreme poverty. Stay tuned for more updates like these from our field team and organizers on the road.
Camera phone shot of Biden and a ONE member
Yesterday at Penn State University, Vice President Joe Biden came for a political rally on campus. And just like so many other political events going on right now, a group of ONE members made it out to show support for ONE and the world’s poorest people.
Our group of amazing ONE members showed up extra early to the rally to make sure they were in the front row in hopes of talking with Vice President Biden after the event — and it paid off!
The members told me that right after his speech, Vice President Biden came out into the crowd and made his way over to them.
When he saw their ONE shirts, he said “Oh ONE! I can’t thank you all enough for the work you do,” and even told them that his son was a ONE member and supporter!
Last Wednesday, I attended the Democratic Party’s fall campaign kickoff event at the University of Pennsylvania.
Tim Kaine, former governor of Virginia and current chairman of the Democratic National Committee, delivered a major national address for the upcoming November elections.
I arrived early to speak with the staff organizing the event to get permission to take pictures and asked if I could speak with Gov. Kaine as a ONE member. As the excitement grew in the room, I drummed up the courage to stand my ground and get a handshake and say a few words to the governor after his speech.
There were some excited young Penn students in the room who were edging in for photo opportunities with the governor, and one of them took a shot for me.
Governor Kaine was extremely gracious and was more than kind enough to listen to what I had to say about advocating for the world’s poorest people. He even mentioned that Mike Henry, ONE’s senior director of U.S. campaigns, used to work for him on his campaign!
It was a great experience for me and it was important for us to remind Gov. Kaine that Pennsylvania ONE members will be out on the campaign trail this fall.
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
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