May 6th, 2008 at 3:16 pm | posted by Josh Chernila, ONE Online Communities Coordinator
One week ago at scoop shops across the country volunteers helped launch the new Ben & Jerry’s flavor, ONE Cheesecake Brownie, to spread the word about ONE, recruit new members and enjoy a free frosty delicious treat. Nationwide, approximately 250,000 ONE Bands were distributed at 350 participating shops on April 29th for free cone day.
As a wrap-up from one of our most successful national efforts, here are some selected stories ONE members wanted to share:
Debra Goldenberg, Berkeley, CA:
Berkeley event went well, 105 people signed up with ONE. Most didn’t have time to linger at the table, as they were rushing in to get icecream, but I did make some connections with a couple of active UC Berkeley students (one invited me to table at an upcoming event she is holding with her Roots and Shoots chapter, which is a group founded by Jane Goodall) and with staff from the Seva Foundation, www.seva.org, which also had a table at the store. I suggested they partner with ONE, it could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
One thing I learned this time, the handouts, while full of wonderful information, are too dense for many people at this event, they did not want to read that much or take papers with them, and were more attracted to the colorful vote08 brochures. I know those are expensive…I think next time I will print a few bold point of interest facts to display that will help start conversations and maybe prompt them to look into more information in the handouts.
And I got to taste brownie cheesecake,,,yum! It was a fun day, the time went very fast!
Colin Woods, Ft. Collins, CO:
It went fantastic. And i felt like it was a huge success. I was even able to contact another very enthused guy. He would like to start putting together meetings and he is the leader in a band and wants ONE stuff to be at all his concerts. He is a great guy. We gave out hundreds and hundreds of bands. It was great. Unfortunately, however only 3 people were able to help with the table but it turned out fine anyway. I think any more and people would have been afraid to look over at the table. Thank you for contacting me about this event it was a great experience and I hope I can help out more in the future.
Chris Geer, ONE Vote ‘08, Pennsylvania:
With things quieting down on the presidential campaign in Pennsylvania following the primary election on April 22, ONE Vote ’08 took advantage of the lull by enjoying some free ice cream! Ben & Jerry’s held a free cone day at its “scoop shops” across the country on Tuesday – this year highlighting its partnership with ONE with their new flavor, ONE Cheesecake Brownie.
Starting at noon, ONE Vote ’08 staff were out for the day at the Pittsburgh Ben & Jerry’s with ONE volunteers signing up new ONE Members, handing out literature and ONE bands to the lines of people out for the free cones. Over 120 new ONE Members signed the ONE declaration, some stopping to talk about the real issues of poverty and global disease and many joining up as volunteers. While numerous people had heard of ONE and knew of Bono’s connection to the organization, for most it was a great chance to get the word out about OV08 and the opportunities we have because of the election in November.
Cherie Martinez, Marin County, CA:
A friend and I set up at the Greenbrae (Marin County, CA) Ben & Jerry’s store. John the owner and two of his kids along with other scoopers were very helpful and really enjoyed the event.
There were lots of people to take part in the Free Cone Day. We signed up 80+ people. It was encouraging to hear so many young kids and teenagers asking about ONE. There was one kid - he was six - asking what diseases were in Africa and what is a bed net and what did the ONE people do to help. He said he didn’t have email, but when he got it he would sign up.
It was a busy afternoon and a bit frantic at times, as the line grew long for a couple of hours. It certainly was a great success.
This little girl had just been back for her second choice on Free Cone (Cup) Day. She seemed really happy about it.
Matt Higgenson, ONE Vote ‘08 Nevada:
Tuesday, April 29th was a very tasty day in Las Vegas NV. Recently Ben & Jerry’s launched their a new ONE flavor of ice cream to help raise awareness about extreme poverty and global disease.
In addition to launching “ONE Cheesecake Brownie” Ben & Jerry’s teamed up with ONE for their annual free cone day. At participating shops throughout the country Ben & Jerry’s staffers were in ONE shirts and the shops had ONE literature on hand to give to customers.
The ONE Vegas chapter was on hand at a couple shops in Las Vegas to sign up new members and talk with patrons about ONE’s efforts to save lives and eradicate extreme poverty.
Ambassador of ONE, Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson, was a guest scooper at one Ben & Jerry’s location. Mayor Gibson has already declared Henderson a “City of ONE” and remains committed to helping his constituents understand the importance of eradicating diseases like malaria and tuberculosis.
Danielle DePas, ONEMiami:
The high school students from ONE Pines Charter were at the Ben and Jerry’s at the Hard Rock Casino in Ft. Lauderdale. They talked to many people, took a lot of cool pictures, got about 80 signatures, and loved the ice cream! Fleet week was in town, so we saw a lot of uniforms.
Rochelle Gibbs, Twin Cities:
We spent our time between two locations in the Twin Cites - 3 of us (including Libby from OV08) spent the full day at America’s first indoor mall and we collected more than 200 signatures. Another volunteer spent the evening at a very energetic UofM campus location that brought in their own DJ. In my location, it was mostly passerbys stopping by the kiosk to take advantage of the free ice cream and they had never heard of ONE prior to this day. I thought this was a great promotion that allowed us to connect with folks who would not have otherwise heard of ONE.
ONE Dallas:
Dallas had a great time!! We gave out a TON of information to tons of people. Nikki McKibbin from American Idol Season ONE was our Celebrity Scooper and she did an autograph signing as well! She seemed to really have a good time! I have uploaded pictures on the ONEDallas myspace….. myspace.com/onedallas!
May 6th, 2008 at 1:58 pm | posted by Virginia Simmons
This Saturday, May 10, starting at 2 pm EST, you can watch 4 live hours of new films and documentaries, plus speakers and musicians, for free at PangeaDay.org
The films were selected from 2,500 submissions from more than 100 countries - and the winning films won out due to “their ability to inspire, transform, and allow us see the world through another person’s eyes.” The idea came from filmmaker Jehane Noujaim who won the TED Prize in 2006 for her goal to create a day in which the world came together through film.
The many who watch the films on the 10th will then be encouraged to join specific groups- among them - ONE.org.
Learn more about the films here, and how to watch the films online, on television or in movie theaters here.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:28 am | posted by Kim Smith, ONE Regional Field Organizer
In the days leading up to the Indiana primary, candidates were making appearances across the state - and last Thursday when Senator Hillary Clinton made a stop in Jeffersonville, ONE was there!
When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. introduced the senator to the over one thousand Indianans at the event, he said that one of the reasons why America is great is that we not only help our own people, but we also help people around the world.
After Senator Hillary Clinton spoke to a crowd in the Jeffersonville High School Gym, she stayed afterward to sign autographs, take pictures, and speak to people - including me.
As Hillary worked her way through the crowd and got to me, I thanked her for going “On the Record” with ONE to lay out her plan to combat global poverty. She took a break from signing an autograph and looked up to say, “Thank you for saying that.”
All the candidates have gone “On the Record” for ONE to lay out their plans for fighting extreme poverty around the world, so if you haven’t checked them out yet, you can see on ONE’s “On The Record” minisite. The Education for All Act’s lead sponsor is Senator Hillary Clinton and if passed it would increase U.S funding for universal primary education and help get over 77 million new children around the world in school.
May 5th, 2008 at 5:51 pm | posted by Matthew Bartlett, ONE Regional Organizer
This past weekend, longtime ONE member and volunteer Michelle Deegan took part in a Walk for Hunger in her home state of Connecticut. Michelle and some fellow ONE members wore ONE shirts to create a presence in their community to help raise awareness of ONE and the world’s poorest people.
By using our voices and incorporating ONE in local events, we are building a movement of Americans that want our country to fight global disease and world wide hunger. Wearing a ONE shirt or a ONE band is a small and easy way to help make a big difference in the world! Way to go Michelle!
May 5th, 2008 at 11:18 am | posted by Virginia Simmons
Sunday, Global Fund Director Michel Kazatchkine announced the Fund may begin to loan cash to developing countries that no longer qualify for their grants.
“By the end of next year 10 countries from the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region — including Turkey, Kazakhstan and Russia — will no longer qualify for Global Fund grants as they will be considered upper income countries.
But some of these countries have only just built up the mechanisms to battle AIDS, tuberculosis or malaria and Kazatchkine cited Kazakhstan as an example of a country which may benefit from a loan and extended help from The Global Fund.
Former Soviet Kazakhstan in Central Asia has grown richer over the last decade from high energy and commodity prices but faces an accelerating number of people with the HIV virus.”
Yesterday afternoon Sen. John McCain came back to Iowa for a townhall in Des Moines; it was his first time in the state since he’s clinched the Republican Party nomination.
I attended the 500+ person event with follow ONE volunteers to make sure that Sen. McCain remembered ONE and the fight to end extreme poverty during the general campaign. Shortly after taking the stage Sen. McCain recognized the many people in the crowd wearing ONE T-shirts, and asked me to stand up. I was already seated on the stage behind him, so I was facing the crowd. Sen. McCain spoke about the ONE Campaign and why he supports what we do. He then handed the microphone over and asked me to speak a little about ONE.
First, I thanked Sen. McCain for his sharing his plans for fighting malaria last week. (All the candidates released statements) and I explained ONE’s non-partisan efforts to educate and raise awareness about extreme poverty around the globe to the hundreds of Iowans at the event.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:56 am | posted by Virginia Simmons
1970 Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug and Georgetown professor and former USAID administrator Andrew Natsios join the chorus advocating for U.S. food aid reform in this joint Wall Street Journal op-ed.
Specifically they state: “Congress should amend the Farm Bill to allow up to 25% of the appropriation for USAID’s food-aid program to be used to purchase food locally” instead of insisting, as the bill currently does, that the U.S. only purchase and ship U.S.-grown food.
A couple more excerpts:
The U.S. government currently buys grain and other foodstuffs from American farmers for free distribution in poor countries…
Ocean shipping costs are 20%-30% of the food-aid budget; and it takes on average over four months to order, buy, ship, offload and transport food by ground. In a famine, people can die waiting for the food to arrive.
Other problems arise. One food shipment sunk in a storm off the coast of Asia in 1996. In 2006, two food shipments were hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia. Hurricane Katrina nearly shut down much of the foreign food-aid delivery system in the Mississippi Delta…
Seventy-five percent of USAID food aid goes to Africa, the most food-deprived region of the world. More robust agricultural growth there will help in a period of rising food prices. More prosperous African nations will become better trading partners, expanding imports of U.S. agricultural commodities, machinery and technology. Any near-term losses will lead to longer-term gains for the American economy.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:06 pm | posted by Virginia Simmons
This afternoon, just hours after ONE staff dropped off a petition at the White House with nearly 120,000 signers, President Bush stood before press and TV cameras to call for $770 million in emergency food aid.
You can now see a transcript of his 3:30 PM public speech here.
Some excerpts:
In recent weeks, many have expressed concern about the significant increase in global food prices. And I share this concern. In some of the world’s poorest nations, rising prices can mean the difference between getting a daily meal and going without food…
I think more needs to be done, and so today I am calling on Congress to provide an additional $770 million to support food aid and development programs. Together, this amounts to nearly $1 billion in new funds to bolster global food security…
As America increases its food assistance, it’s really important that we transform the way that food aid is delivered. In my State of the Union address this year, I called on Congress to support a proposal to purchase up to nearly 25 percent of food assistance directly from farmers in the developing world. And the reason you do that is, in order to break the cycle of famine that we’re having to deal with too often in a modern era, it’s important to help build up local agriculture…
We believe in a timeless truth: To whom much is given, much is expected. And so therefore at home we are working to ensure that the neediest among us can cope with the rising food prices. And with the new international funding I’m announcing today, we’re sending a clear message to the world: that America will lead the fight against hunger for years to come.
The ONE Blog is a daily log of the anti-poverty movement. The site is operated by ONE staff, volunteers, members and coalition partners.
The content of each post and each comment represent the views of that author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the ONE Campaign or ONE Action. ONE does not support or oppose any candidate for elected office, and any posts expressing support or opposition for a candidate is not endorsed by ONE.
Debra Goldenberg, Berkeley, CA:
Colin Woods, Ft. Collins, CO:
Chris Geer, ONE Vote ‘08, Pennsylvania:
Cherie Martinez, Marin County, CA:
Matt Higgenson, ONE Vote ‘08 Nevada:
Danielle DePas, ONEMiami:
