Bowling Green, Ky. – The ONE Campaign announced today that Western Kentucky University earned the top spot in the ONE Campus Challenge, besting campuses that offered up creative and effective efforts such as filming their own public service announcement and engaging the presidential candidates directly in the fight against poverty and disease. WKU’s successful efforts to raise awareness of extreme poverty and treatable diseases earned the school the ONE Campus Challenge grand prize: a special performance from some of the nation’s top bands, including Army of Me and Georgie James.

“Western Kentucky’s ONE Chapter distinguished themselves with the caliber and effectiveness of their efforts to bring others into the movement and advocate for change,” said David Lane, ONE President and CEO. “Hilltoppers are leading the next generation of activists and, right now, are helping create a better life for millions suffering from extreme poverty.”

The ONE Campus Challenge, launched in September 2007, is a nationwide competition to provide students with the tools they need to organize on campus, talk to elected officials and increase awareness of the crises of extreme poverty and preventable disease. ONE has rewarded students for reaching milestones as the OCC progresses, stoking the competition and encouraging participation.

In March, each of the top ten schools received a $1,000 grant from the ONE Campaign to implement their own poverty-fighting initiative on campus. ONE members and a panel of experts determined Western Kentucky’s program to be the best.

“Western Kentucky is committed to doing what we can to make sure the issues of extreme poverty and preventable disease are addressed,” said WKU President Gary Ransdell.  “What the ONE Chapter did in one day was incredible.  I have a feeling that the ONE Day at Western Kentucky is the first of many days to come when ONE members are out on campus, talking to other students and bringing them into the movement. I am proud of the work these students have done in making these issues a part of the campus dialogue.”

Representatives from the top 100 schools were invited to Washington, D.C., in January for the Power 100 Summit, an elite student conference bringing the top student leaders together with politicians, policy experts and thought leaders. At that time, there were fewer than 100 ONE members on WKU’s campus.  Today, there are 2,954 ONE WKU members.

“Western Kentucky students have gone above and beyond to educate others about the prevalence of extreme poverty, how treatable disease are killing thousands every day and what America can do to help,” said Erin Eagan, Student Outreach Coordinator. “Western Kentucky should be proud of their work and know that this campus is home to many of the nation’s top student activists.”

In March, each of the top ten schools received a $1,000 grant from the ONE Campaign to implement their own poverty-fighting initiative on campus. ONE members and a panel of experts determined Western Kentucky’s program to be the best. The expert panel included Gene Sperling of the Council on Foreign Relations, Sam Worthington, President of InterAction, and ONE Campus Challenge leaders Erin Eagan and Weldon Kennedy.

“Matt Vaughn and the WKU ONE Chapter have mobilized students, faculty, student groups and local leaders on these issues. That is ultimately what the ONE Campus Challenge is all about-helping students across the country turn members of their community into advocates for a better world,” Eagan said.

Western Kentucky used their grant to transform the campus into an educational center and rally students around the crises of extreme poverty and preventable disease during an intensive 24-hour period on March 25.

In one day, WKU students wrote more than 300 letters to lawmakers in Washington in support of specific legislation that addresses the root causes of extreme poverty. On that same day, almost 2,000 WKU students signed the ONE declaration asking our nation’s leaders to come up with additional solutions to these issues.

The effort concluded with a high-profile event, with more than 300 students rallying together with Western Kentucky’s president and the mayor of Bowling Green to indicate their shared dedication to bringing attention to the conditions of extreme poverty around the world and promoting solutions to the crises.

Highlights of that rally include:

• The Mayor of Bowling Green signed a proclamation declaring Bowling Green, the fourth largest city in the state, to be a “ONE City”.
• WKU President Dr. Gary Ransdell presented a proclamation making WKU a “ONE Campus”.
• The students worked with the administration to have the bell tower ring once every three seconds for the rally’s final minute to recognize the child that dies every three seconds from poverty. The bell tower was adorned with a 60 foot banner that read “Make Poverty History”.
• WKU’s ONE members partnered with the Political Engagement Project on campus to have voter registration at the rally under the title “Vote Out Poverty” as another way to amplify the youth of America’s voice and promote ONE’s message in a real way.

To watch a short video of the winning events, click here: http://vimeo.com/837203.

ONE Campus Challenge participants learned of Western Kentucky’s victory via a video announcement now posted on the ONE Campus Challenge blog.

The ONE Campaign is a global advocacy organization uniting millions of people to press government leaders to fight extreme poverty and preventable disease around the world. For more information, visit www.ONE.org.