As we move into October, the push we started in August for ONE members to meet with their Members of Congress is still going strong. ONE Members across the country had over 70 meetings with district staffers from both the House of Representatives and the Senate! These meetings provided an amazing opportunity to let our elected leaders know that Americans really do care about the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases. However, these meetings were just the beginning when it comes to building relationships between ONE members and their Members of Congress. We hope these meetings mark the beginning of a long-term dialogue in our ongoing fight for the world’s poorest people.
Below are a few more of the meetings that recently happened, and continue to follow the ONE Blog to check out all the future meetings and activities of ONE members taking action in towns and cities across America.
Visit with Senator Chambliss’s office in Atlanta, GA
On September 15th Jessica Given had the pleasure of representing 40,000 ONE members in Atlanta when she met with staffer Steven Meeks in Senator Saxby Chambliss’ office. Specifically, the meeting was to discuss the urgency of the issue of Climate Change and to ask Senator Chambliss to support 5% of any revenue produced from future climate legislation to directly address this issue as the poorest people of the world would suffer the most while contributing the least to the problem of global warming. The meeting went well and Mr. Meeks assured Jessica that he would make sure to pass along the information and our request would be heard.
Visit with Senator Mikulski’s office in Fells Point, MD
On Thursday September 17, 2009 Deidree Bennet and six ONE members met with staff in Senator Mikulski’s Fells Point office where they asked that the Senator sign on to co-sponsor S.1524 Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009. They were also able to talk about all the great activities that over 36,000 MD ONE members have helped with this year and discuss the Senator’s constituents want to take action in the fight against extreme poverty. The staffer’s also let us know that there is new email option on the Senator’s website and encouraged ONE member to let the Senator know their views through the website, so if you’re from Maryland shot them an email. It only takes a few minutes but it is important to let our leaders know we care about these issues.
Visit with Senator Crapo’s office in Boise, ID
On September 29, Matt Miller led a group of Boise ONE members to meet with Senator Crapo’s regional director, Bryan Ricker. Through the meeting they were able to discuss ONE’s mission as well as the need to remember the world’s poorest people in any upcoming climate legislation, the Water for the World Act and the Foreign Assistance Revitalization and Accountability Act of 2009. The volunteers were also able to discuss PEPFAR and how such life saving bills have direct ties to our national security interests in addition to helping those in need.
Mr. Ricker was interested to hear that ONE is over 5,000 strong in Idaho and growing. The meeting went very well and he was kind enough to meet with us for 45 minutes and assured them that all of the issues that were discussed would be brought to the Senator.
Visit with Senators Webb and Warner’s offices in Roanoke, VA
Before Allison Martin headed back to school for the fall she spent her last few days of summer advocating on behalf of the world’s poor! She coordinated a great group of ONE members in Roanoke, VA to introduce ONE and discuss global poverty issues at Senator Warner and Senator Webb’s local district offices. The volunteers were excited to represent over 46,000 ONE members across the state who come from all walks of life, faith communities, and political backgrounds to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease as one.
Trinity Presbyterian Church and Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center co-hosted an Interfaith Hunger Banquet this past weekend in Arlington, VA to unite the community in the fight against hunger. The Oxfam Hunger Banquet simulates the number of people living in poverty worldwide. Guests sit according to a randomly assigned income level and eat a corresponding meal with the high group enjoying a nutritious feast and the low group, half of all attendees, eating just a small portion of rice.
Pastor Bernie Nord and ONE Sadaqa endorser Imam Johari Abdul-Malik opened the ceremony with prayers from their distinct traditions. Despite their differences, these two faith communities are working together in the fight against global hunger. They welcomed Congressman Jim Moran to the podium who shared a message of unity reflective of his career-long commitment to human rights issues in the developing world. He invoked a metaphor of the human organism to illustrate how our lives are interconnected. He said:
“We really are part of a human organism, of really one organism, hence the organization that is represented here, ONE…A majority of the humans on this earth really don’t have a whole lot of opportunity to realize their full potential, so we as a human species will never realize our full potential…when we ignore so much of that body of which we are a part.”
At the end of his speech, Rep. Moran pointed to my ONE shirt and reminded the audience, “That’s really what this night is all about. It’s recognizing that we’re all one.”
Faith communities in Virginia and across the country are organizing to raise awareness and take action to end the suffering caused by global poverty. Learn more about ONE Sabbath here.
Yesterday I attended a meeting on the Hill with Congressman Moran’s staff as the Director of the Arlington Academy of Hope, a ONE member, and a longtime constituent. ONE and the AAH collaborated on this meeting to share our common efforts to grow grassroots support for improved primary education in Africa. We met with Congressman Moran’s Foreign Policy Advisor, David Young. Mr. Young happens to be a ONE member – he wore an original ONE band to the meeting! Both Mr. Young and the congressman are passionate about development and human rights issues in Africa and very supportive of our work.
ONE member and AAH volunteer Tim Laramy and I spoke of the success of our model primary school in rural Uganda which was previously featured on the ONE Blog. Tim teaches locally and spent time volunteering at the Academy. He said the students’ appreciation for their education is apparent in their enthusiasm every day. It amazed Tim that the students walk and even “run long distances to attend classes at the Arlington Academy of Hope.” They understand that so many of their peers throughout their country do not have the same opportunity; less than 14% go on to secondary school. All of our AAH graduates have qualified to move on to this level and change the course of their futures.
I told Mr. Young that over 60 percent of AAH supporters and the majority of the board live and vote in the 8th congressional district of Virginia. In Arlington and beyond we have built strong grassroots support for our school, clinic, and other programs in Uganda and recently celebrated our 5th year anniversary! We’re so glad to have support from ONE members in the area that number nearly 8,000 in Congressman Moran’s district!
Mr. Young said that he appreciated learning more about the Arlington Academy of Hope and local ONE activity and was enthusiastic about the work that we’re doing. He also stressed the importance of staying in touch with our representative and encouraged local ONE members to continue writing letters and contacting the office to support lifesaving efforts in the developing world. David Young emphasized that a focused effort really has an impact on the congressman’s decisions. Amazing things can be accomplished when like-minded people committed to ending extreme poverty, like AAH and ONE members, unite!
A group of ONE volunteers from Charlottesville, Va., visited with our new congressman, Tom Perriello, while he was in district and had a great discussion on global poverty. We came out of the meeting with a commitment from Rep. Perriello to the goal of eliminating extreme poverty across the globe, as well as a video testimonial on the work of ONE to make that dream a reality.
We spoke of our passion to fight poverty and preventable disease, explaining the varying personal and faith perspectives that united us as advocates at the table. The Rev. David Poist noted that his congregation is a member of ONE, and offered biblical grounding for the work we were asking Rep. Perriello to support.
We also delivered a stack of letters from 5th District constituents to the congressman asking him to support the Initiating Foreign Assistance Reform Act, H.R. 2139. As I gave him the letters, I expressed my opinion of the impact that one voice can have in a room and said that we are “hopeful that you can be one of those voices in Congress.”
Two others, David Dierolf and Steve Neumeister, urged Rep. Perriello to support the Obama Administration’s foreign aid recommendations in the International Affairs Budget.
Rep. Perriello assured us that he would continue to do all he could to advocate on behalf of the voiceless who live in the poorest countries in the world. He informed us that he has already spoken directly with Chairman Obey of the House Appropriations Committee, urging him to defend President Obama’s proposed increase to the International Affairs Budget.
Before he began representing the 5th district in January of this year, Rep. Perriello worked in Africa as a consultant and lawyer building for sustainable peace in places like Sierra Leone, Liberia and Darfur.
Local ONE members are thrilled to have such a strong advocate in their representative – a person who truly believes that extreme poverty can be eradicated during his lifetime and will fight to see it happen.
After the meeting, Congressman Perriello recorded a special message to ONE members – check it out!
ONE staff recently had the pleasure of meeting some incredible humanitarians from Arlington, VA who shared their amazing success stories working to promote basic education and healthcare in rural Uganda. In 2004, John and Joyce Wanda, immigrants from Uganda, founded the Arlington Academy of Hope (AAH), a primary school in Mr. Wanda’s home village. Since its foundation, AAH has become a model school for villages in eastern Uganda with a high attendance rate and top exam scores. All AAH graduates have qualified to move on to secondary school, an astonishing achievement in a region where less than 14% of children ever reach this level. In addition to the success of the Academy, AAH has built a clinic on campus and also offers scholarships to graduates to continue their education.
AAH has partnered with Arlington Public Schools on a Global Reading Challenge, African curriculum, teacher exchanges, and fundraising projects. The Arlington Traditional Elementary School in particular has adopted AAH as its sister school and they collaborate throughout the school year.
Here’s one example of how AAH is transforming lives through education in rural Uganda:
Rachel is one of seven children raised by a single mother in Uganda. Her family was living in extreme poverty and marriage seemed to be Rachel’s greatest hope for survival until she was offered a full scholarship by the Arlington Academy of Hope. Rachel became one of the Academy’s top academic performers earning top scores on her primary level exams and receiving an AAH scholarship to continue her education. She now has become a student leader at her secondary boarding school in Kampala. Her mother still volunteers at AAH to this day even though her children have since graduated.
AAH is another great example of the impact that local grassroots efforts can have on developing communities in Africa and around the world.
I just got back from Fairfax High School, the Home of the Rebels, where I spoke with the Leadership Class. In addition to planning the traditional standbys like homecoming and prom, these outstanding students are involved in several service projects throughout the year. Now they’re looking to raise awareness as ONE!
The student leaders quickly came up with a range of ideas to get the community involved in the fight against poverty from a visit with their congressman to a ONE shout-out on the stadium scoreboard! Expect great things from the leadership at FHS! More to come!
I was lucky enough to catch an incredible performance by some genuine ONE rock stars on Friday night – and no, they’re not on tour this summer. It was a one night only performance in Chester, VA where students at Thomas Dale High School raised awareness by raising their voices at the annual Rock4Life concert. A 60-piece student orchestra performed on stage accompanied by the high school chorus and the local Offering Band led by vocalist and ONE member Jeanine Guidry. They raised thousands of dollars and all proceeds benefited UNICEF, a ONE partner, and the local Central Virginia Food Bank.
Students arranged and performed popular songs from bands like U2 and Switchfoot. In between each song, they educated the audience about global and local poverty by reading hunger statistics and facts, sharing testimonials, and showing student-made films. The auditorium was packed with over 600 parents, teachers, and community members who all jumped to their feet at the end of the performance!
These young advocates truly inspired me and their community by using their talent and passion for music to fight poverty. They even have plans to visit their congressman to share their efforts with him and learn about what he’s doing in Congress to save lives and prevent suffering. All ONE members can make a difference in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease by sharing their unique gifts and perspectives – join the students of Thomas Dale HS and get involved today! http://www.one.org/us/actnow/
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Visit with Senator Chambliss’s office in Atlanta, GA
Visit with Senator Mikulski’s office in Fells Point, MD
Visit with Senator Crapo’s office in Boise, ID
Visit with Senators Webb and Warner’s offices in Roanoke, VA
ONE staff recently had the pleasure of meeting some incredible humanitarians from Arlington, VA who shared their amazing success stories working to promote basic education and healthcare in rural Uganda. In 2004, John and Joyce Wanda, immigrants from Uganda, founded the 
