Recap: August recess meet ‘n greets

ONE members across the country are using the August recess as an opportunity to meet with their congressional leaders to advocate for the world’s poorest people. So far, ONE members have attended more than 45 meetings with their senators or house representatives. Here’s a compilation of some of last week’s visits:

ONE member Steve with a member of Sen. Nelson’s staff
Meeting at Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson’s Omaha Office
Recently, I met with one of Sen. Ben Nelson’s, (D-Neb.), staff members, Patrick Leahy. After briefly discussing ONE’s history, agenda and the strong membership we have here in Nebraska, we got on to some more urgent matters. I asked that Nelson sign the Lugar-Casey letter in support of the Global Food Security Act and increase funding for GAVI and the Global Fund.
I asked Patrick to relay our thanks to Nelson for his support in these areas. I also told him that we are aware and proud of Nelson’s important position on the appropriations committee and how lucky we are to have him representing Nebraska.
- Steve White, ONE Nebraska

ONE members at Sen. Klobuchar’s office

Meeting with Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s St. Paul Office
ONE Congressional District Leader Reena Dhake and I headed over to Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s, (D-Minn.), Twin Cities office, where we met with State Director John Kavanagh to discuss ways to help improve the lives of millions of people living in extreme poverty.
Klobuchar supports both ONE and the issues we focus on. During the meeting, we commended the senator for her efforts, including her cosponsorship of the Global Food Security Act.
We also asked the senator to add her name to the Casey-Lugar letter in support of this legislation.
–Rochelle Gibbs and Reena Dhake, ONE Minnesota

ONE member Steve with a member of Sen. Nelson’s staff

Meeting with Sen. Barbara Boxer’s Fresno Office
My husband Ryan and I had the privilege of meeting with Sen. Barbara Boxer’s, (D-Calif.), Fresno office.
State Director Thomas Bohigian and Ameen Khan, the director of Central and Eastern California, were extremely gracious with their time and attention. We all agreed that because the world’s poorest people often find themselves silenced by the circumstances of their lives, it is vital that concerned citizens continue to raise awareness on their behalf.
We asked Bohigian and Khan to thank the senator for her efforts to represent the interest of the world’s poorest, including cosponsoring PEPFAR and the Water for the World Act. We asked that Boxer continue to show her support as we look ahead to the Global Fund’s replenishment conference in October. We also asked that she sign the Lugar-Casey letter in support of the Global Food Security Act.
The senator’s track record for supporting aid legislation is excellent, and we walked away with a sense that Boxer’s office is very empathetic to the plight of those enslaved by extreme poverty.
- Rebekah Townsend, ONE California

Meeting with Berkley’s Office

Meeting with Rep. Shelley Berkley’s Las Vegas Office
I met with district representatives Jan Churchill and Nikki Koval at Rep. Shelley Berkley’s, (D-Nev.), district office in Las Vegas, Nevada – and even briefly met the congresswoman.
We discussed the Global Fund and GAVI. I asked that Berkley do all that she can to build bipartisan support for increased funding of both programs in the House.
It is my sincere hope that although this week’s in-district meetings have happened in Vegas, they don’t stay here. Perhaps what happens in Vegas can be one small part of a concerted effort to change the world for the better and save lives.
- Adam Bellamy, ONE Nevada
Meeting with Sen. Al Franken’s Twin Cities Office
Yesterday, ONE member Rochelle Gibbs and I had a meeting with Sen. Al Franken’s, (D-Minn.), deputy state director, Daniel Fanning. We delivered a large thank you on behalf of ONE and its members in Minnesota for Franken’s leadership and dedication in the fight to end extreme poverty and preventable disease.
We asked Daniel to have the senator sign the Casey-Lugar letter in support of the Global Food Security Act to overhaul U.S. agricultural assistance efforts and help developing nations become more self-sufficient in their food production. Daniel informed us that they are in the process of looking into signing onto the letter at this time, so it was great to hear about the support from ONE.
We told the Senator to support a strong, three-year, $6 billion U.S. pledge to the Global Fund at the replenishment conference in October. We also told him to urge the appropriations committee to keep the Senate-approved funding level for GAVI at $105 million.
- Steven R. Thai, ONE Minnesota

ONE members at Sen. Reid’s office

Meeting with Sen. Harry Reid’s Las Vegas Office
It was an exciting morning as local ONE volunteers Renee Meyocks and Amber McIntosh and I met with Sen. Harry Reid’s, (D-Nev.), Regional Representative, Charvez Foger, at his downtown Las Vegas office.
We were honored to have the chance to share our passion for ONE’s goals and discuss the Global Food Security Act, GAVI and the Global Fund. Charvez made it clear that Reid is a proponent of international development and assistance, and exhibited a keen interest in what we had to say.
Charvez told us that at some point next year, Reid would like to hold an international development summit, inviting volunteers and officials from diverse nonprofit organizations (including ONE) and high-ranking representatives from the State Department to engage in a dialogue on these issues.
This news was very exciting to us. We are always looking for ways to highlight and debate international development issues locally so that our fellow Americans and government officials understand that global issues are also local issues.
- Adam Bellamy, ONE Nevada