ONE members Tom and Jackson with Rep. Paul Hodes

On a recent Saturday, Rep. Paul Hodes, (D-N.H.), hosted a breakfast gathering in Concord, New Hampshire, as a stop on his “Wake Up Washington Tour.” ONE members Jackson, Tom and I attended the breakfast with a bunch of excited Hodes supporters.

We entered the event at the same time as Hodes and his wife Peggo, who immediately recognized us in our ONE T-shirts.

“Good to see you here, I’ve been wearing my ONE band on the campaign trail!” Hodes called to us from across the parking lot.

We had a moment to speak with Hodes outside the event, where we thanked him for supporting life-saving programs during his time in the House.

Our ONE team encouraged him to help the United States continue to lead the world in the fight against extreme poverty if elected as senator.

Thanks again to all the ONE members who gave up one of their last summer Saturdays to raise awareness about ways to fight extreme poverty and end preventable diseases. I’m excited to see so many people getting engaged in the political process, and am looking forward to more ONE Vote 2010 events on the campaign trail!

Be sure to connect with other ONE Vote 2010 New Hampshire members on Facebook and Twitter.

- Matt Flanders, ONE Vote 2010 organizer, New Hampshire

On Thursday night, New Hampshire ONE members met up with U.S. Senate candidate, Rep. Paul Hodes (D-N.H.) at the American Legion in Manchester. Rep. Hodes was hosting a buffet supper and we caught up with him to talk about ONE and the world’s poorest people.

We thanked Rep. Hodes for always being a supporter and friend of ONE both in office and out on the campaign trail during our ONE Vote efforts in 2008. ONE members will also remember that Rep. Hodes wore the ONE band at the now-famous rally in Unity, N.H., where former Sen. Hillary Clinton stood together with former Sen. Obama – both with ONE bands, too!

We thanked Rep. Hodes for voting for PEPFAR, showing that the U.S. is committed to being the leader of the world in fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa. We also gave him another ONE band, and again, he wore it for the rest of the night! He said he would continue to think of the people living in the most extreme poverty if elected to the Senate.

The very next night, Rep. Hodes spoke with ONE member Whitney outside the Barley House in downtown Concord. They spoke of the Global Fund and the United States’ life-saving efforts in the poorest places in Africa — like simple bed nets to prevent malaria and medicine that allows Africans to not only survive HIV/AIDS, but to live a productive life for their families and communities.

It is hot outside in New Hampshire, but things are going to get even hotter on the campaign trail as ONE members from all backgrounds talk to Senate candidates about extreme poverty and a fresh new partnership between the U.S. and Africa!

Be sure to connect with other ONE Vote 2010 New Hampshire members on Facebook and Twitter.

On Friday, Sen. Obama returned to the Granite State to campaign for President with Sen. Clinton. Some ONE members and I made it out to the event as early as possible to try and reach the two senators and make sure that the world’s poorest people were not forgotten in Unity, NH.

Waiting in the crowd, I was amazed by the number of ONE bands I saw on people everywhere! As New Hampshire Rep. Paul Hodes made his way to the stage, ONE member Tucker Jadczak was able to reach out to him and offer him a ONE band, which he immediately put on.

Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama finally made their way down to the stage and even through the large crowd, we were able to slip them ONE bands to remind them of the world’s bottom people.

You can see us with Sen. Clinton here:

And with Sen. Obama here, when Tucker thanks him for his efforts to fight AIDS and poverty in Africa:

In much of the media coverage and in many newspapers in New Hampshire and across the nation, you could prominently see Sen. Clinton’s ONE band on her left wrist!

As we move forward in the general election it can be tougher and tougher to have direct engagement with the candidates – but ONE members everywhere are helping to advocate for the world’s poorest people by wearing a ONE shirt, passing a ONE band to a candidate, and finding ways to make our voices heard like writing letters to the editor, and calling their own congressional representatives.

-Matthew Bartlett