I’m sitting front and center waiting for the start of ONE’s 1st panel at the RNCC. It’s called “New Frontiers in Global Health & Economic Development.” It’ll be moderated by Senator Bill Frist, and include talks by
Michael Gerson, syndicated Washington Post columnist, former top advisor to President Bush
Dr. David K. Apuuli, Director General of the Ugandan AIDS Commission
Sally Canfield, Senior Program Officer responsible for US government relations for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Josh Ruxin, assistant clinical professor of Public Health and directs Columbia Universities 3 initiatives in Rwanda.
After, Governor Huckabee will join us to talk about his recent trip with ONE to see poverty-fighting at work in Rwanda.
Finally, Senator Frist will moderate a second panel called: “Growth, Opportunity & Stability in the Developing World.” It’ll include talks by:
Nancy Birdsall, founding president of the Center of Global Development
Michael Fairbanks, Chairman Emeritus and founder of the OTF Group
Rwandan Senator Aloisea Inyumba, first Executive Secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission
Dina Habib Powell, former Assistant Secretary of State of Education and Cultural Affairs for the United States, current Director of Global Corporate Engagement for the Goldman Sachs Group where she is spearheading 10,000 women.
I’ll do my best to capture some video highlights and share them with you as soon as I can upload them.
I just returned from another phenomenal ONE/World Vision service project. As at the DNCC last week – David Lane and Zambian AIDS activist Princess Zulu introduced the event, but this time we also heard moving remarks from special guests Senator Frist, Cindy McCain and First Lady Laura Bush.
I captured video of Cindy McCain and First Lady Laura Bush’s speeches and quickly uploaded them to YouTube. You can check them out below. We got higher quality video of the speeches as well, but it may take a couple days to get that up – and I want to share this experience with ONE Blog readers ASAP.
First, Cindy McCain:
Next, First Lady Laura Bush. (You can also read her full remarks here.)
Here’s a photo of (from left to right) Cindy McCain, David Lane, First Lady Laura Bush, Princess Zulu and Senator Frist assembling care kits.
In the course of a couple hours we packed 2,500 kits, all with simple but essentials supplies like flashlights, wash clothes and basic drugstore medications, to be given out to AIDS caregivers around the world. Below is a very short video clip to give you a sense of the what it was like to be in room at the height of kit-assembly commotion.
We knew it was a possibility but now it’s confirmed. Both Cindy McCain and First Lady Laura Bush will be coming by ONE’s service project at the Minneapolis Convention Center today from 2-5 PM CT If you’re in the area, dropped by and help out. It should be an amazing event.
Below, some photos I took during prep for the event yesterday.
After sitting in the hot- midday sun in Denver for a week, and then traveling for days down the highway by way of Omaha, the ONE Bus proudly rolled right inside the Minneapolis Convention Center to sit a top some fluffly blue carpet. Good ‘ole bus probably needed a bit of a rest.
Pretty soon after I got to the table, Kentucky Delegate Dan Bayans dropped by to pick up his ONE Delegate materials. Among the items his bag: information on ONE’s service project today and panels tomorrow, as well as 6 ONE shirts which he can hand out to other members of the Kentucky delegation as he signs them up for ONE.
Right after that, Libby showed up with brand new ONE volunteer Pamala Brown. Pamela told me that she’s from Eden Prarie. MN, and has been a ONE member since the 2005 G8, but that this is the first time she’s been able to volunteer at an event. She’s pretty excited to be here and we’re pretty exited to have her.
Around the back of our bus I found the make-shift office for much of our on-the-ground staff. They’re pounding away getting everything in order for the rest of the week’s events. When they asked if I was posting this photo, I told them I could neither confirm nor deny.
I’m feet down in Minneapolis waiting to gain access to the ONE Bus at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
Just like at the DNCC, ONE will partner with WorldVision to host a service project. If you’re in Minneapolis/St. Paul, it’s going to be at CivicFest (the Minneapolis Convention Center) today from 2-5pm in Ballroom B. Confirmed attendees include Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and McCain family and friends.
Like last week’s event, volunteers will be able to help assemble kits for AIDS caregivers around the world, but today volunteers will also be able to help with WorldVision’s recovery efforts around the Gulf in the wake of Hurricane Gustav.
If you want to help with Hurricane Gustav recovery as well, you can find more information on World Vison’s website.
I’m heading over to the ONE Bus now. More updates in just a few minutes.
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.
