A high school student at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Ill., Mary Kate Vanecko shares her school’s new-found passion for ONE.
We now have a ONE chapter at my high school! We believe the issues that ONE focuses on are extremely important, especially to our generation, since we have the ability to drastically reduce HIV/AIDS and poverty. We took advantage of our school’s April 20 Earth Day Fair to introduce ONE to Loyola. We got started during the week leading up to the fair, posting flyers with the ONE logo, quotes and statistics.
The statistics really hit home. People were shocked to hear that roughly 20 percent of the world’s population lives on less than $1.25 a day. With the student body’s interest peaked, we encouraged people to check out the THRIVE petition and emphasized the importance of agriculture in diminishing the cycle of poverty. We were able to get 140 signatures in just two hours, including our school principal! By stressing ONE’s mantra “we’re not asking for your money, we’re asking for your voice,” we stood out from other clubs at our school and gained the support of students eager to make real change. With our many new members now decked out in ONE wristbands and motivated to get involved, we look forward to doing more and working together as ONE to beat extreme poverty.