United States of America

Pennsylvania ONE Members Matt Schaeffer and Nicole Miller share their experiences with ONE and why they feel the desire to raise awareness in their local community!

From Matt:

One of my personal favorite highlights in helping raise awareness for ONE came during ONE Vote ‘08. I had the opportunity to address Senator McCain at a town hall event. It was quite a thrill to speak in front of several hundred people in the audience about the importance of ONE!

The most important part of being active with ONE throughout my college career was learning how to convince people to raise awareness about global poverty and disease. Organizing ONE events at Lebanon Valley College taught me many things about conveying an important message in a compelling way. I think we were very successful with the number of people who were impacted at the events and became ONE members. ONE also teaches younger members like myself to be aware of important political issues and the international implications of our lifestyle at home.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet Congressman Tim Holden D-PA and some of the staff from both Senator Casey and Specter. Meeting with your elected officials is very important and gives ONE Members the ability to convey a sense of urgency concerning the dire need of the world’s poorest inhabitants. Leaving those meetings filled me with a sense of pride and responsibility that is hard to come by at a young age. I truly believe that when people become educated and made aware of what is happening every day in the developing world they say “stop it right there…how can we help?” I now live in the Philadelphia area and cannot wait to promote advocacy for ONE in my new surroundings!

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From Nicole:

With ONE I’ve been able to have direct contact with my Senator’s staffs to advocate for an end to global poverty and to thank them for their support so far. In November 2009 I had the opportunity to put a ONE wristband on Senator Arlen Specter during a town hall meeting. The Senator wore the ONE band and we talked about the importance of his co-sponsorship for the Water for the World Act.

In January, I was lucky enough to attend the ONE Campus Challenge’s Power 100 Summit and join fantastic ONE members from all over the country for meetings on Capitol Hill. Our meetings with both Senator Casey and Senator Specter’s offices showed me just how important each of our ONE voices can be. I am very excited about organizing a chapter of ONE Members that will advocate on behalf of the world’s poorest people. In fact, our chapter’s advocacy has already begun by making our voices heard to our respective members of Congress in support of the President’s request for the International Affairs Budget!

Senator Bob Casey (PA) just issued this press release in support of the International Affairs Budget. As he put it, while the issue might not get a lot of headlines, “it is important for American taxpayers to know what their investment in the International Affairs Budget means for improving the domestic job market and what benefits they reap from helping to build stable societies and markets overseas.”

Here’s the full press release:

Casey Highlights Export Help for PA Companies During Foreign Relations Budget Hearing

WASHINGTON, DC- During a Foreign Relations Committee hearing today on the State Department budget, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, highlighted funding in the budget that promotes U.S. exports and businesses abroad. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before the Committee.

“It may not receive a lot of headlines, but I think it is important for American taxpayers to know what their investment in the International Affairs budget means for improving the domestic job market and what benefits they reap from helping to build stable societies and markets overseas,” said Senator Casey. “The Export-Import Bank alone has financed $3 billion in exports from Pennsylvania since 2005. The International Affairs Budget funds are critical to promoting U.S. exports, protecting intellectual property rights and advocating for American businesses abroad. I am pleased that Secretary Clinton and President Obama realize the important assistance they can provide to promote U.S. companies and products overseas. And I appreciate Secretary Clinton’s remarks today supporting continued and expanded efforts to promote U.S. companies and products to create jobs in Pennsylvania and around the country.”

Since 2005, the U.S. Export-Import Bank, which is funded through the international affairs budget, has financed $3.06 billion in exports from Pennsylvania supporting 223 companies in 112 communities.
Also funded under this budget, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency promotes economic growth in developing and middle-income countries, while simultaneously helping American businesses to export their products and services.

Additionally, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) is an independent U.S. government agency that assists U.S. companies by providing financing (from large structured finance to small business loans), political risk insurance and investment funds. OPIC complements the private sector in managing risks associated with foreign direct investment and supports U.S. foreign policy.

The international affairs budget is economically beneficial in other ways as well. USAID has granted millions of dollars in funding to projects administered by 21 Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs) in Pennsylvania.

Megan Pederson, a 2007 Roosevelt High School graduate and a junior at Iowa State University, recently attended the ONE Campus Challenge Power 100 which we hosted here in Washington, DC. The Des Moines Register has a nice write-up today about the event.

Excerpt below:

The students went to Washington to hear speakers and to Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress. They got to talk to Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa and his staff, among others, Pederson said.

Pederson talked to Grassley’s staff about extending the official development assistance category within the federal budget, specifically increasing HIV-AIDS vaccinations and helping additional children in developing nations to attend school.

“After lobby day, I felt so empowered,” she said. “I felt I could come out to Washington and lobby all the time. Some people came up to us and congratulated us. It felt like we were actually being heard.”

The group was in Washington from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1, when President Barack Obama revealed his $3.8 trillion budget for 2011.

Every year, the ONE Campaign hosts the ONE Campus Challenge, a friendly competition among universities across the U.S. to determine which school’s student body has the most effective global poverty-fighting campaign. Students earn points by participating in activities and events, some serious, others lighthearted. Schools earning the most points are eligible for the lobbying trip to Washington.

Maryland resident Molly Corbett shares why being a ONE Member is important to her and some recent advocacy efforts she and her husband engaged in with regard to Haiti.

I have stayed involved with ONE because I believe in ONE’s mission to eradicate extreme poverty. As a mother I am moved to act not only for my own children but for children throughout the world.

When I heard about the earthquake in Haiti all I could think was, “how much can one country endure?” Before the quake Haiti was the poorest country in the western hemisphere, only 1/3 of the country had clean drinking water and they have been plagued by government corruption for decades. For two days all I could do was watch the news in disbelief. On Thursday, a friend called and said – “so what are we going to do for Haiti?” I knew that there were people just like me – waiting to do something, something more than texting to donate $10.

The next morning I was dropping my kids off at school and I was listening to NPR report from Haiti. People were singing spiritual songs and being thankful for surviving the quake. Then I heard the Haitian motto: Strength in Unity. I thought we need to celebrate the lives of all the Haitians and show our unity with them.

My husband manages an Irish pub so I called him and suggested we have a fundraiser at the pub for Haiti. He jumped on the phone and started calling bands and other businesses for their support. Before we knew it we had 5 bands and loads of raffle prizes. The local radio station donated advertisement time and created it for us. The support was amazing!

It turned out to be an amazing event. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley came by to show his support and even got up on stage to sing a few Irish tunes. We had hoped that at least 300 people would come, but we had over 500! We raised $8,720 for Haiti. We also made sure to have ONE’s petition handy asking US Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner to secure the immediate cancellation of Haiti’s $1 billion debt and ensure that any emergency earthquake assistance is provided in the form of grants, not debt-incurring loans. We were proud to join the other 200,000 ONE Members who signed the petition!

Afterward we had people calling and emailing to say how much they enjoyed the event, not because of the music, but because of the sense of community it had created in helping Haiti. We were living the Haitian motto!

I have seen what grassroots advocacy can do on a local level and feel excited about what ONE is doing on a global ONE!

Over the weekend I attended the 5th annual University Hunger Summit in Auburn, Alabama. The summit featured a series of speakers, including Roger Thurow, former Wall Street Journal reporter and author of Enough: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty.

Thurow spoke about our need to mobilize and help build the political will to make it possible to end hunger in our lifetime. He encouraged each of us to reach out to our elected officials and make it known that world hunger is an issue we will no longer tolerate.

This message was repeated throughout the weekend by a number of speakers from government, corporate and non-governmental organizations, including Ann Tutwiler, coordinator of the Global Food Security Initiative, Office of the Secretary, USDA; Kishore Mandhyan, deputy director, Executive Office of the Secretary-General, United Nations; Tony Hall, executive director of the Alliance to End Hunger, former U.S. congressman and former ambassador to the UN Missions in Rome; and Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger and author of “All You Can Eat: How Hungry is America?”.

With the number of hungry people dramatically increasing worldwide, we must take action now and continue to raise our voices to make sure that the United States lives up to its commitments to help end world hunger in our lifetime.

Over 200 Fresnans gathered at an event called “Hope For Haiti,” looking for ways to respond to the recent devastation and long-term crisis in that country. ONE members were present to give people information on how they might respond in a tangible way to impact positive change. Pastor Bob Willis from Northpark Community Church presented ONE as an effective and efficient means of fighting against extreme poverty through advocacy.

People were challenged to become the solution to the problem and to look for ways to serve. An exciting result – new members excited about using their voices to hold leaders accountable, raise awareness, and further the mission of making extreme poverty history. We’re excited to advocate with them in Fresno.

- Rebekah Townsend, ONE Fresno, CA

On Saturday I traveled out to Wheaton, IL to meet with a great group of long time supporters from DGAAN – the DuPage Glocal AIDS Action Network. DGAAN has been building passionate advocates in DuPage County, IL since 2002. Combining global and local, the term “glocal” symbolizes DGAAN’s awareness that the HIV pandemic needs to be addressed on both a local and global level. Saturday was the second annual World Day of Social Justice, providing a great reminder to everyone in attendance as to why we do what we do…the fight against poverty is not about charity, but about justice and equality.

Since it had been some time since a ONE representative met with DGAAN, I began by giving a brief re-introduction to ONE, explaining who we are and what we do. The remainder of my portion was focused on highlighting three initiatives ONE is focusing on in 2010, including the ONE Campus Challenge, Women ONE2ONE and ONE Sabbath. DGAAN is co-chaired by two women: Sr. Glenna Czachor, OSF, from the Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation Office, Wheaton Franciscans and Dr. Sandra Joireman, Ph. D., Department of Politics and International Relations, Wheaton College. Needless to say, all three of these programs fit directly in with the work that DGAAN is already doing out in DuPage County.

A Policy Associate for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, Pete Subkoviak, also presented at the meeting. Pete shared information on several legislative and advocacy initiatives here in Illinois as well as an update on the Illinois budget crisis and our state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). He also reminded everyone that the 2010 HIV/AIDS Lobby Days in Springfield, IL will be on March 16th and 17th.

Between ONE and the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, the meeting definitely represented what DGAAN is working to achieve — “a network of advocates that strengthen the lifelines of hope, locally and globally.”

I look forward to working closely with DGAAN and all the wonderfully passionate individuals involved with the group.

“On the Border, By the Sea” isn’t just a slogan for this historical city in South Texas; it’s their acknowledgment of shared responsibility that accompanies a shared heritage with the global community. On Saturday, I witnessed that expression in action during a press conference celebrating their official proclamation as a city of ONE.

Here’s a brief slide show from the event:

Joining the ranks of 130 other US cities, including Dallas, Brownsville is working to get people involved in efforts that are fighting global poverty, saving lives from disease, putting children in school and increasing opportunity in poor countries around the world. The press conference was followed by a celebration event where local community, faith, business and elected leaders came together to sign a letter to be hand-delivered to their U.S. Congressman, Solomon Ortiz. Along with highlighting their advocacy work, the letter requests an in-person visit with the congressman to discuss ways they can support him as the U.S. keeps its promises to the millennium development goals.

Not surprisingly, that same morning Brownsville welcomed the new Mittie A. Pullam Elementary School into their community. In its mission statement, BISD acknowledges the importance of producing “well-educated graduates who can pursue higher educational opportunities and who will become responsible citizens in a changing global society…”

Lack of access to quality education is preventing millions of people from escaping the cycle of extreme poverty around the world. Most of the 72 million children still out of school are amongst the poorest and hardest to reach. More than half of them are girls. There couldn’t have been a more appropriate time to highlight the crucial role primary education plays in the success of a community, and the responsibility we all have to ensure every child has the opportunity to receive an education. In fact, it was Brownsville’s own Paulina Sosa, ONE member and sophomore at the University of Texas, who returned home to encourage her community to stand up and take action against extreme poverty back in 2009.

It’s exhilarating to witness the growing number of community leaders in the state of Texas who, like Brownsville, advocate for life-saving solutions to end poverty in our lifetime. If the spirit of Brownsville is any indication, we could see neighboring cities throughout South Texas join them in their advocacy efforts. We congratulate your leadership and we look forward to continuing our work with the city “On the Border, By the Sea.”

Pictured left to right: Cris Garza, Rotary Sunrise Member; Ruben O’Bell: Chief of Staff for State Representative Eddie Lucio III; Gustavo Morales, Catholic Diocese Representative; Connie Hensley, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; Gloria Miranda, UTB-TSC Representative, Dr. Enrique Escobedo, Brownsville Independent School District Board Trustee; Roscoe Mapps, ONE Regional Director; Paulina Sosa, ONE Brownsville Head Coordinator; Edward Camarillo, Brownsville City Commissioner; Ankjaer Jensen, Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; Sergio Zarate, Community Liaison for State Representative Eddie Lucio III; Rose Gowen, Brownsville City Commissioner; Martin Arambula, Port of Brownsville Commissioner; Luis Cavazos, Past Rotary President; Pastor Brad Burkes, Brownsville City Chaplain; Charlie Cabler, Brownsville City

Shortly after discussing relief and development efforts in Haiti at the ONE Global Poverty Forum at Hampton University, Rep. Bobby Scott (D, VA-3) boarded a plane to see the on-going humanitarian operation for himself! It was announced today that Rep. Scott is leading a congressional delegation to the recovering country. Turns out that the ONE forum could not have been more timely – fellow panelist, Gen. Ron Sconyers, gave the congressman some pointers for his trip based upon Physicans for Peace’s experience on the ground.

ONE thanks our partners at Physicians for Peace and Congressman Bobby Scott for their efforts to help the people of Haiti. As ONE members, we have to continue our advocacy efforts to support long-term development goals for Haiti and for countries throughout the developing world. Click here to take action!

Wednesday night in a community at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia’s 3rd district, Congressman Bobby Scott discussed US development efforts in another port city thousands of miles away in Haiti, but close in spirit and thought, as concerned constituents gathered on Hampton University’s campus for a ONE panel discussion on global poverty. The panel also featured Brig. General Ron Sconyers of Physicians for Peace and Keren Dongo, ONE Sr. Manager of Community Engagement. They discussed the immediate need for humanitarian relief in earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince and also relief in the broader context of long-term commitments to development in Haiti and the poorest countries in the world.

While applauding Americans’ swift and generous response after the natural disaster in Haiti, Congressman Scott was quick to remind us that “global health and poverty are important every day, not just in times of crisis.” He added, “We must find a way to translate our concern for humanity into sustained policy efforts that will strengthen the global community and lead to a safer and healthier world.” The congressman emphasized that helping the poorest countries in the world lift themselves from extreme poverty is not only a moral imperative, but in our own national security interest.

The panel echoed this sentiment and asked the audience to continue their advocacy to fight poverty and preventable disease throughout the developing world. Hampton University students immediately responded with plans to start an OCC chapter on campus! Watch out, Power 100! More news from HU, including video of the panel discussion, to come!