On Tuesday, May 5, Save the Children and Doctor and Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist visited our school to launch the 2008 State of the Worlds’ Mothers Report. Who would think that learning to knit would bring so much excitement? Not the first second and third graders in Cordova, TN at Lamplighter Montessori School who knitted infant caps for Save the Children’s Caps to the Capital campaign!

Our students knitted the caps and sent them to Save the Children. Then they were invited to D.C to lobby with Save the Children. This week our school was chosen as The United States launch site for the 2008 report. Bright and early on Tuesday morning our students went on TV to promote awareness of the report. Later in the day, Senator Frist visited the school to talk about the simple and inexpensive ways children’s lives can be saved; warm caps for infants, hand washing, clean water and immunizations. The students showed Senator Frist the caps they had knitted in anticipation of another “Caps to the Capital” campaign.

Our Middle School students presented Save the Children, Senator Frist, Shelby County Mayor A. C. Wharton and ONE with student paintings to show our appreciation for the work being done to help children all over the world reach their first birthday.

-Terrie Sampson, Head of School, Lamplighter Montessori School

PHOTOS:

1- Lamplighter Students Ashley Buckingham, Naseem Yousef, Sutton Hewett, Dylan Beasley, Suzanne Bernstein and Michael Feather showing Save the Children’s Katheryn Bolls the caps knitted in anticipation of the next Caps to the Capitol Campaign.
2- Lamplighter student presenting ONE volunteer Carly Jackson with a painting creating by the students

Western Kentucky University beat out the competition by recruiting almost 3,000 students to ONE, writing letters and placing calls to members of Congress and effectively reaching out to the Bowling Green community to join the movement.

On Tuesday night, ONE brought the bands Army of Me and Georgie James to the campus for a free concert. Lots of local news, like the WKU Herald and local TV station WBKO covered the event.

The WKU Herald quotes ONE student organizer Matt Vaughan:

“Way to go, Hilltoppers,” Vaughan said. “3,000 people at Western are now signed up (for the ONE Campaign). That’s an accomplishment no other university could match.” Vaughan said he was happy to sit back and enjoy the concert, but there was still work to be done to end world poverty.

“The spirit of change is alive and well here at WKU,” he said. “For years to come we’re going to have to keep rocking the movement. We can do this and we will do it.”

And WBKO ran this interview with Vaughan Tuesday night.

Note his quote:

“We beat out schools like Princeton and George Washington, all these schools that are known for being globally engaged and active. We showed that you don’t have to go to a rich and elite school in the East Coast to make a difference in this world, everyone can make a difference,” said Matt Vaughan, WKU student organizer.

Congratulations WKU! We can’t wait to see what you guys do next.

“Last week the luck of the Irish was with the ONE Campaign. New Jersey members of ONE and our partner organization CARE met with Senator Robert Menendez to discuss his support for several anti-poverty bills going through Congress. For my part in the meeting I thanked the senator for co-sponsoring and voting for the Biden/Lugar amendment to the FY09 international affairs budget which, as many of you might know, restored $4.1 billion dollars…”

Read the rest on the ONE Campus Challenge Blog.

Compassion has flooded the hallways of Libertyville High School in Illinois. I and my fellow students are taking action for the fight against disease and poverty and today, on March 19, our school will become the first official “ONE High School” at the same time Libertyville becomes an official “ONE City.”

Next month, we’re organizing a massive community benefit concert that will take place on April 18, 2008 at the high school’s field house. Just like the roots of the ONE Campaign, this started as just a few students’ idea and has grown into a movement.

What inspires me the most is how quick more students are to join. Our group continues to grow and we’ve already signed up more than 580 new members in just two days of tabling. Between our school and town, the Libertyville community is truly taking on to the idea that we all can come together as ONE community to change the world.

-Ryan Steel, ONE member and LHS senior, Libertyville, IL

Many of the questions posed dealt with the President and Mrs. Bush’s recent trip to Africa, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the work that ONE and other NGOs are doing to help the world’s poor. As if talking to the First Lady was not cool enough, the students wore ONE shirts to emphasize their commitment to ending global poverty and disease.

Check out some of the student comments about the experience after the jump.

-Katie Andrews, Field Organizer (KS, OH, MI, MO, WV)

Being an exchange student from Finland I have never experienced how people of so different backgrounds and with so different beliefs just are able to work together for a greater cause. Just thinking about the mix of cultures and beliefs that our group was made up of, and realizing how differently we all see the world was incredible. Sitting in that classroom with other students, teachers and even our school’s principal, almost everybody wearing a ONE t-shirt, listening to Laura Bush made a huge impact on me. And yet, there we were, talking about HIV/AIDS and trying to understand the importance of fighting this pandemic. Uskomatonta (Unbelievable)!

-Natasha Nurmi

The fight against global poverty is surely a daunting task and will be the definitive issue of our generation. It is complex with no single, simple solution. But with more celebrities, volunteers, politicians, students, and nations joining the cause everyday, we can succeed. Twenty minutes of Mrs. Bush’s time was another small step towards this monumental task. While twenty minutes may seem short, Mrs. Bush’s example prompted a dialogue among us students that will continue far past this week. It will amplify poverty awareness among students and take the cause in new and innovative directions. Conversations are the necessary building blocks for change and have the ability to inspire people and encourage action. Most of all they create solidarity among those attacking poverty from different angles. It’s this social dialogue that will ultimately destroy poverty.

-Chase Hrdina

The time and advice Mrs. Bush gave us was definitely appreciated. I think it is so cool that she realizes the potential of high school students. Our age group is usually overlooked because we are seen as moody and unreliable, but Mrs. Bush looks at us differently. I am glad that such a high-ranking woman understands the potential teenagers hold and the importance of getting us involved in helping with the world’s problems.
-Kelsey Eckenrode

Generally, every time we talk to someone and ask them the same question, we get the same response: “Oh, well, I think that it’s just great that you guys are interested in AIDS/Darfur/(insert issue here).” Well, Mrs. Bush said that she’s been to Africa five times, and each time she goes there, she sees improvement. She then said that she is proud that American kids what to help–She’s proud of us! I think that’s really cool! The entire idea behind speaking with Mrs. Bush was intoxicating. During the video conference, I kept thinking to myself, “I can not believe that Laura Bush is having a conversation with us!” She said that we look at huge problems and we think that we can’t address them. But we can. All problems are difficult; it’s hard to get anti-retroviral drugs to people who need them, but their standard of living is drastically increased with the drugs. I think that with continued perseverance, people will win the battle with AIDS. It’s so encouraging and inspiring to be reminded that there are very powerful people out there who care about the same issues that I do; people who others will listen to, people who are influential. I never cease to be amazed how these leaders are willing to talk to a group of kids in the middle of Missouri. But I guess when people like the First Lady tell you that they’re proud that you’re involved and that you care about an issue, it’s easier to believe that we can change the world.
-Samantha Eiffert

Getting to hear from Laura Bush was to me, a once in a life time opportunity. Hearing her views on her experiences in Africa were interesting, because I’ve never been out of the United States. Many of the things she said, for example, about how poverty and poor water supplies were the main sources of the spread of disease in Africa were very similar to a few things we’ve read about in Mountains Beyond Mountains. In a way Laura Bush reminds me of Paul Farmer because they both have the same passion to continue to help people who are less fortunate than us. It was a real eye opening experience to get more information on something we are learning about and be able to connect what Laura Bush was saying to things that I had learned in class.
-April Myers

Bram Sable-Smith (who spent the last two years in the United World Colleges program in Swaziland) Mitch Besser of mothers2mothers dedicates all of his working time towards the mothers program, however a president or a first lady cannot do that. They cannot champion one cause only because they must be the champions of all causes. We should be stoked that one of these champions of all causes has designated a significant amount of time to our cause, and even a small portion of that to us.

Having Mrs. Bush talk to us was, well, awesome. Who can actually say, “Oh yeah, so, today in school, we talked to the First Lady on the phone?” She was really down to earth. But personally, I think the best part about the whole conversation was that not ONCE did ANYTHING come to politics or different views. I didn’t feel tension in the room from the different parties, we were all there for ONE reason (please excuse the pun). It was really refreshing. I am so lucky to be surrounded by young minds that all want better for our world, and I am grateful for getting the opportunity to talk to people who have really gone out there and made a difference, like Mitch Besser, Paul Farmer and Mrs. Bush.
-Alex Harrison

Yesterday, at my high school, we had our first ever video conference. It was in a classroom of about 100 kids. The astounding thing about that is that the conference was with Laura Bush. It was quite amazing to be a part of that. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about everything she said. And when we asked her how to help, she encouraged us by saying that just by keeping up on the times and caring that that was a start. Then, by acting on the care, we would be able to help immensely in Africa.
-Lauren Orscheln

In just 12 hours after launching OCC, 1000 ONE Chapters were formed. Today, there are now more than 1,400 student-led ONE groups covering all 50 states.

Throughout the competition, colleges earned points for actions – like hosting speaking events, creating public displays on campus that raise awareness, contacting members of Congress and overall recruitment. All in all, these students made more than 10,000 calls to Congress, 2,000 calls to presidential candidates, provided needed support for the Jubilee Act, and successfully helped urge the IMF to honor their promise to provide debt relief to Liberia.

Finally, late last week Erin and Weldon announced the top ten point-earning schools:

Brandeis University; Campbellsville University; George Washington University; Hofstra University; Kansas State University; Princeton University; Sacred Heart University; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Western Kentucky University; and Wilmington College, Wilmington, Ohio.

Each of these schools are receiving a $1,000 grant from ONE to craft their own poverty advocacy project.

I’m looking forward to learning how they use them – and will let you know when I do.

-Virginia Simmons

At the event – we’ll officially launch the ONE Campus Challenge – although we did go out of our way to leak it to our members and blog readers beforehand:)

The event’s set to start at 9 but a bunch of us ONE loyalist have been here for hours making sure to get the word about ONE out to the more than 1,000 young people attending.

In a moment I’ll post a few great shots of the crew and crowd. Even as I sit here, I see more and more people in ONE shirts walking by.

From the very first mention of bringing the ONE Campaign to the campus, I, a student ONE Vote ’08 staff member, have been constantly surprised by the interest fellow students have shown. Hopefully, we as Cougars can set an example for other colleges around the state and continue to make good things happen!

-Jesse Pruitt, SC ONE Volunteer Coordinator

Welcome back to school!

We are looking for students who can help out ONE from their campus this school year. In order to apply for an unpaid internship with ONE, you will need to send your resume and cover letter to resumes@one.org. The cover letter should include: why you are interested in the position, what outreach experience you have, how many hours a week you are willing to commit (we recommend 10-15 hours) and any other pertinent information. Applications are due by September 15, 2007.

ONE is really excited to have students like you that are willing to educate and mobilize your peers on campus about ONE. Students are one of the most powerful groups in America’s history – they were the driving force behind the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the Civil Rights Movement. Students are now powering the next great movement – ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History.

As you start up your ONE Chapters on campus this year please keep a few things in mind:

1- Please feel free to contact me with any questions: giveyourtime@one.org
2- Once you meet with your ONE chapter and elect leaders for the group, please email me the names and emails of the officers in your group.
3- A lot of colleges have different rules about becoming official groups on campus. When you are in the process of becoming an official group, let me know if you need a sample constitution or any other material to present to your Student Government Association.
4- When your ONE Chapter does become an official group on campus, please let me know.
5- Once you have collected signatures from students around campus, please email or fax the signatures to me. (Ask for our fax from giveyourtime@one.org)

We have a bunch of new, exciting things coming up this fall for college campuses, and you will want to be involved! Stay tuned…

Thanks,

-Erin Eagan, Student Youth Outreach

Joe has been an active member of ONE (as the ONE poster he has on his office wall will quickly show you), so he was immediately excited about the prospect. The fall semester is about to begin at USC, and Joe will be meeting with his fellow officers to see what they can do to get the ball rolling and get other clubs and students involved in the ONE Campaign on campus. With a student population nearly 28,000 strong, USC would be another great symbol of ONE’s broad support and respect.

It is no secret that the younger generation is widely disillusioned with U.S. politics, but we have found them consistently to be among ONE’s most enthusiastic supporters. In an age of bitter partisanship divide, we are sending the message that some issues are simply too important to play politics with.

If you would like to know more about becoming a ONE Campus, contact ONE’s Student Outreach Coordinator, Erin Eagan.

- Mekell Mikell, SC ONE Vote