Cindy McCain and Tom Daschle to Help Accept Award on Behalf of ONE

Washington, D.C. -Cindy McCain and Tom Daschle will join ONE members from across the country today at an award ceremony in Washington, D.C. honoring the global anti-poverty organization.    ONE is being awarded the Center for Global Development’s (CGD) 2008 “Commitment to Development Award” at the National Press Club. ONE won the award, which is also sponsored by Foreign Policy magazine, for raising awareness and securing concrete commitments from the 2008 presidential candidates on combating global poverty and global diseases like AIDS and malaria.   

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle co-chaired ONE’s presidential outreach effort, dubbed ONE Vote ’08, along with fellow former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Throughout the presidential campaign, ONE mobilized thousands of supporters to speak directly with the candidates on making fighting global poverty and disease a foreign policy priority.

Cindy McCain became involved with ONE during the campaign and traveled with the organization in July 2008 to Rwanda to see how simple and effective U.S. efforts are improving and saving lives in the region.  “ONE’s presence on the campaign trail was noteworthy not only because of how many ONE members attended each and every town hall, but because of how smart, respectful and effective those members were in talking to the candidates,” Cindy McCain said. “I can tell you firsthand that the candidates heard ONE’s message loud and clear, and I congratulate ONE on this great and well-deserved honor.” “ONE and its membership elevated the issues of global poverty and disease during the presidential campaign,” Tom Daschle said. “ONE helped secure extraordinary commitments on global health and poverty from the candidates, including President Obama and Secretary Clinton. Equally important, ONE brought together leaders from both sides of the aisle to forge a durable consensus on the importance of America’s global efforts.”

The award, granted annually since 2003, honors an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to changing attitudes and policies toward the developing world. Former winners include then-Chancellor of the Exchequer and now U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown (2005) as well as former U.S. Congressman Jim Kolbe (R-AZ) (2006). ONE members from across the country who helped engage the presidential candidates are also attending the ceremony in Washington. ONE members Danielle DePas, a teacher from Florida, Michael Castaldo, a father of three and former marine from New Hampshire, and Matthew McAllister, a University of Colorado student, will all help accept the award.

“This award underscores how every American — no matter his or her zip code, career or political persuasion — can make a real difference in the priorities of a president,” ONE President and CEO David Lane said.  “Americans of all stripes tracked the presidential candidates at almost every coffee shop, town hall meeting, and campaign rally, earning commitments from the candidates to tackle extreme poverty and global disease. We were proud to have joined with so many other organizations in doing this important work. We thank CGD and Foreign Policy magazine for recognizing this effort to make global poverty an important part of America’s political dialogue and agenda and we look forward to working with others in building on these accomplishments.”

“ONE was ever-present on the campaign trail and has established itself as a unique and influential voice heard on Capitol Hill and across the country,” said Bill Frist. “ONE’s accomplishments are a testament to the building, bipartisan recognition that saving lives and alleviating global poverty is both right and smart for America.”

“CGD and Foreign Policy magazine are proud to bestow this award upon ONE  for their innovative use of online tools and real-world events to raise awareness during the 2008 U.S. elections about how the United States can make it less difficult for poor people in developing countries to escape poverty,” said CGD president Nancy Birdsall.