Saturday was an awesome day to fight extreme poverty in Louisville, KY! The multi-platinum selling rock band Third Day found out that the day of their Louisville concert fell during the weekend of the international Stand Up Against Poverty and they not only wanted to take part during their concert but also had the idea of doing a special question and answer session with anyone who agreed to become ONE members!

Thirteen great ONE volunteers got to Freedom Hall to start working to recruit new members at 6:00PM and by the time Third Day took the stage around 9:00 we had signed up 538 people who wanted to join us in the fight against extreme poverty and preventable diseases. The volunteers did such an awesome job we were worried we would not be able to fit everyone into the Q&A after the concert!

During the concert Third Day slowed things down and told the audience that they were going to do something kind of unusual for a rock concert- that they wanted everyone to sit down! At that point the lead singer Mac and the bassist Tai spoke about ONE and the importance of everyone coming together to make a difference in the fight against extreme poverty. They then turned it over to WJIE Radio station DJ Chris Crain to read the Stand Up pledge asking people to commit themselves to fighting poverty every day. It was so exciting to be part of over 6000 people all at one time standing up and cheering in coordination with millions of people all over the planet doing the same thing.

After the show was the special Q&A session for ONE members, and over 400 people poured into the room anxiously waiting to hear more from their favorite band. I kicked things off by talking about ONE and ways people in Louisville can use their voices for the world’s poorest people. Then all the members of Third Day entered the room as their fans went wild! Starting off the Q&A both Mac and Tai spoke very passionately about the importance of fighting for the poorest of the poor and how ONE makes it very easy to get started in that fight. People had tons of questions and were so excited for the opportunity to learn more about ONE and get to see such a personal side of Third Day.

Overall it was an amazing day to Stand Up Against Poverty and I was so fortunate to be part of it all!

PS: Stay tuned to the ONE Blog for some video and pictures from the Q&A with Third Day soon!

On Saturday I joined Pennsylvania ONE Members and volunteers from RESULTS to STAND UP against poverty in Philadelphia, PA.

On top of everyone STANDING UP, our day together focused on the challenges of extreme poverty, the importance of achieving the Millennium Development Goals, and publicly urging our elected officials to support proven successful life-saving programs like the Global Fund. There was also importance placed on several advocacy related functions that everyone can participate in including writing letters to your Member of Congress.

In addition to learning more about how we can be a part of the solution, everyone was fortunate enough to listen to Dr. Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health and subject of the book Mountains Beyond Mountains, speak live about what it takes to make a movement to end poverty.

People in attendance seemed inspired and ready to take an action – whether it be attending a meeting with a member of Congress or simply spreading the word to friends and colleagues about the importance of advocacy and demonstrating their commitment to fight for the poorest people in the world.

On Saturday approximately 275 Atlantans joined together with ONE and CARE to Take a Stand Against Poverty. It was an amazing event, featuring Fredrika Whitfield from CNN, CARE CEO and President, Dr. Helene Gayle, CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden, and ONE CEO David Lane. Mayor Shirley Franklin was also in attendance.

The event began in the atrium of the American Cancer Society Center with cocktails and a buffet provided by local Atlanta restaurant, Six Feet Under. As guests mingled, they had the opportunity to shop the microfinance marketplace which showcased handmade goods made by women from around the world including handbags from Guatemala, paper beads from Uganda, candles from India and beautiful beaded work from Kenya. Guests also had the opportunity to meet with author Mary Cantando and purchase a copy of her new book “Leading With Care,” a look at how women around the world are inspiring businesses, empowering communities and creating opportunity.

ONE volunteers staffed a sign up table and talked with guests about the importance of the advocacy work that ONE is engaged in. Local ONE’rs also had an opportunity to chat with David Lane as he mingled with the crowd and took part in the evening’s festivities. The CARE Action Network and Join My Village also had tables. At 7:45 the Burundi Drummers entered the atrium and treated everyone to a rousing performance of dancing and great African drum beats that continued as they lead the guests, conga line style, into the theatre for the rest of the evening’s entertainment. Philanthropy awards were presented to two local Atlanta young women for the work they have done to raise money and awareness on anti-poverty initiatives.

But the biggest surprise of the evening was the musical guest Hanson! We were treated to a 30 minute mini-concert by these incredibly talented men as they sang and played some of their newest songs for us. With a piano, a guitar and a cajon (a Mexican drum box) as accompaniment, Hanson’s well blended vocals and thought provoking lyrics were a perfect reminder of the reason we had all come together: to renew our commitment and show solidarity for actions that lead to ending poverty in our lifetimes.

What can you say about an event that is not only inspirational but fun? All I want to know is what do we get to do next year?

-Nancy Bauer, Atlanta ONE Member

173,045,325 to be exact. That’s the number of people who mobilized this year to “Stand Against Poverty.” We’ll have a couple more reports from ONE members who hosted Stand Up events over the weekend, but for now, here’s the latest from our friends at Stand Against Poverty:

A Guinness World Record shattered this weekend when 173,045,325 citizens gathered at over 3,000 events in more than 120 countries, demanding that their governments eradicate extreme poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “Stand Up, Take Action, End Poverty Now!”, now in its fourth year, has been certified by Guinness World Records as the largest mobilization of human beings in recorded history, an increase of about 57 million people over last year.

“The more than 173 million people who mobilized this weekend sent a clear message to world leaders that there is massive, universal, global demand for eradicating poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals,” said Salil Shetty, Director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign. “In particular, we have seen citizens determined to show their governments that they will hold them accountable for keeping their promises to end hunger, improve maternal health and abolish trade-distorting agricultural subsidies. They will not accept excuses for breaking promises to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, who have already been hardest hit by the global food, economic and climate crises they had no role in causing.”

In Asia more than 100 million people participated (101,106,845); in Africa more than 37 million people participated (37,848,412); in the Arab region more than 31 million people participated (31,394,459); in Europe more than 2 million people participated (2,102,121); in Latin America more than 200,000 people participated (229,371); in North America nearly 200,000 people participated (191,535); and in Oceania more than 170,000 people participated (172,582).

Roscoe Mapps reports from San Francisco and Berkeley; Marlaine Cover reports from San Diego; and Jim Herley Bowling reports from Ocean Park:

San Francisco Stands Up! At City Hall

[Because] “we can’t fail our conscience…”
[Because] “this is a fundamental issue along with climate change that drives the situation in the world today…”
[Because] “it’s important to note that we do have the resources to uproot poverty…”
[Because] “education is the most effective anti-poverty strategy in the world…”
[Because] “we have a President who was elected to help address the needs of the poor…”
“We are standing up today to say, ‘U.S. government, let’s address the fundamental causes, let’s address the issue of poverty…’

These were just a few powerful reasons ONE members joined the San Francisco State University International Relation Student Association, RESULTS, and the Bay Area Interfaith Millennium Development Goals Coalition to Stand Up Against Poverty on the steps of San Francisco City Hall. Standing with City Supervisors David Compos and John Avalos, those historical steps, which have often been a platform to address equality and injustices, became a background of support for those living on less than $2 a day. Check out clips from some of the passionate speakers we enjoyed during this noon event:

Berkeley Students Take Their Turn to Stand Up!

Since 2007 UC Berkeley students have had the option of pursuing a minor degree in Global Poverty and Practice. Under the Blum Center for Developing Economies, students accept the challenge of analyzing the “ethics of global citizenship” and increasing the role their generation has assumed in seeing an end to poverty in our lifetime. With their infamous passion, ONE by ONE, student leaders educated their peers on the purpose and the promise of the Millennium Development Goals. Joined by Professor Ananya Roy and CEO of Back to Earth Ari Derfel, over 130 students and community members attended. Afterward, Sara, an OCC leader, tabled for ONE next to other organizations who stood up that day. Berkeley, an institution known for its students of extraordinary leadership and conviction has once again set the bar for their community to get involved, speak out, and help make the case against poverty.

San Diego Stands Up!

On Sunday ONE San Diego hosted their fourth STAND UP San Diego event at Grape Day Park in Escondido. To underscore their theme of “Taking Humanity to Whole New Heights”, ONE organizers treated participants to kite making and music, and added 203 people to the global Stand Up total.






Church in Ocean Park Stands Up and Holds ONE Sabbath

This past Sunday in Santa Monica, the Church in Ocean Park had a wonderful ONE Sabbath and Stand Up Against Poverty event led by our congregation’s young people. We sang, danced, read the Millennium Development Goals, and announced our follow-up action to Stand Up: the Fall Fancy Dress Ball on Friday, October 30 to raise money for life-saving bednets purchased by the Against Malaria Foundation.

At the end of the service, we ended as we always do–holding hands in a circle. It was our moment to Stand Up with so many others around the globe, to be counted in the fight against global poverty.

New York ONE Members added their voice to those standing up against poverty on Friday, highlighting World Food Day and the Millennium Development Goals.

ONE was joined for the New York City Stand Up event by MercyCorps, a global relief and development organization, and Anita Sharma, North American Coordinator of the United Nations Millennium Campaign. Standing with people from around the world on this day, it was great to see those at the local level also coming together to combat the challenges of extreme poverty.

-Christopher Geer, ONE Field Organizer

This weekend was the annual Global Day of Action when people all of the world Stand Up and Take Action to end global poverty and at last night’s U2 concert in Norman, Oklahoma, 50,000+ U2 fans stood up to show their support.

They’re joining millions of people around the world – a Guinness Book of World Records 116 million stood up last year! – to show solidarity with the world’s poorest people and demand action on meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of halving poverty and disease worldwide by 2015.

Check out ONE members Standing Up at the show, after a long day of taking action against global poverty and signing up more than 2,000 new ONE members:

-Aaron Banks

St. John Neumann’s Catholic Church in Reston, VA took a stand against poverty this past Sunday – in two different languages!

Hundreds of parishioners read the Stand Up Pledge after the morning Mass in English and then en español after the Spanish Mass in the afternoon. This bilingual action reflects the diversity of people coming together as one in the fight against poverty in this country and around the world. Erin Tunney and Damian Gullo coordinated the events at St. John Neumann’s to stand with millions of people worldwide who are committed to realizing the Millennium Development Goals.

-Lauren Conn

Today millions of people around the world are literally standing up as a demonstration of their commitment to fight for the poorest people in the world. And just as you’d expect, ONE members are getting in on the action. We’ve already reported on a series of events taken place, which you can read about here.

There are other ways you can join in.

On Twitter, you can click here to post the tweet below or just copy and paste: I’m Standing Up to end poverty today with @onecampaign. Pls RT and join me. #standup09

On Facebook, first become a fan of ONE here. Then set your status to:
I’m Standing Up to end poverty today with @one. Please post this as your status and join me.

Remember, if you type “@one” into your status message, Facebook will create a link to ONE’s page so your friends can click to learn more.

And DC ONE staff also took part! Here’s a photo of our Stand Up event courtesy of Kimberly Cadena:

Yesterday I joined Miami ONE Members, University of Miami students and local community members to take a stand against poverty. This year ONE Miami joined with igKnite, a student group from UM to host an awareness event about the challenges of extreme poverty and the importance of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Throughout the night we heard from several speakers and many different artists, each with a unique message about hope and the importance of effective anti-poverty programs. It was an amazing event and all who attended seemed inspired and ready to take an action – whether it be attending a meeting with a member of Congress or simply spreading the word to friends and colleagues about the importance of this fight to make a better, safer world for all.

-Sara Paterni