San José, Calif.–San José City Councilmember Ash Kalra joined Andrew P. Hill High School students, teachers and other members of the grassroots, global anti-poverty organization ONE June 1 to honor and celebrate their extraordinary work in raising awareness of global poverty and preventable disease.

San José ONE members-including Andrew P. Hill High School students under the guidance of English teacher Allison Parker-have been working this year to raise awareness about extreme global poverty and the simple, effective solutions that can save the lives of millions of people from diseases like HIV/AIDS and malaria.

“I am honored to be presenting a commendation to the ONE Campaign for their continued efforts to fight global poverty,” said Councilmember Kalra. “The ONE campaign encourages everyone to recognize the devastating impact extreme poverty has globally and to take action in our local community to bring about change around the world. San José is one of the greatest cities in the United States with a diverse community full of caring and compassionate people who I hope will work hard to address this very important issue.”

ONE is a grassroots organization whose millions of members work in their local communities to raise awareness of these global challenges and help build the political will to address them. ONE achieves change through advocacy and public mobilization, pressuring global leaders to adopt smart policies, and invest in tested, proven solutions that save lives and combat extreme poverty.

Joining Councilmember Karla were Andrew P. Hill High School students, teachers and other local ONE members. Throughout the school year, several students, under the guidance of English teacher Allison Parker, participated in ONE activities and awareness-raising events, winning the praise of Mayor Chuck Reed and San José city council members. The mayor, Councilmember Kalra, and Councilmember Madison Nguyen all signed an official commendation recognizing ONE’s activities in the community.

“Throughout this school year, I’ve seen firsthand that students and young people want America to show leadership and courage in addressing global poverty and preventable disease,” Parker said. “Today’s honor shows what young people can do when they engage their leaders and work together to make a difference. I’m proud of the work my students have done and will do as they continue to raise awareness of the simple efforts that can save lives and help the world’s most vulnerable people.”

“Young people have almost always been central to the most important and world-changing social movements in history, from the civil rights movement to women’s suffrage and to abolition,” Andrew P. Hill student Jeremy Peoples said. “The fight against extreme poverty, hunger, AIDS and malaria can be my generation’s chance to change the world for the better. Through ONE, millions of members like us work in our schools and local communities to raise awareness and help build the political will to address this crisis. Together, we can help save lives and make a better, safer, healthier world for all of us.”

More About ONE The strength of ONE extends to all levels of government, whether it be ONE members meeting with their members of Congress, volunteers in Iowa and New Hampshire attending campaign rallies, or municipal governments in St. Louis and Miami proclaiming their support for America’s global health efforts. ONE will continue to build the political will at all levels of government and across all partisan lines to ensure that fighting poverty and saving lives remains a priority for the United States.

Thanks to this support-as well as countless organizations and leaders from both parties-America’s lifesaving global efforts have delivered historic results in the last several years. America’s commitment has contributed to putting nearly 4 million people living with HIV/AIDS around the world on lifesaving medicines, up from just 50,000 people in 2002. Millions more are surviving malaria because of cost-effective investments in simple bed nets and medicines. In Rwanda and Ethiopia, for example, malaria cases and deaths were cut in half in two years. And some 34 million more children have been given the chance to go to school for the first time in recent years.