ONE Campaign to Host "ONE Week" to Fight Poverty and Win Concert

by Jaime Bates, student newswriter, (254) 710-6805

Baylor University's chapter of the ONE Campaign, ONE Campaign-Baylor, will host a "ONE Week" beginning Saturday, March 21, through Wednesday, March 25, in an effort to increase awareness of extreme poverty and, as a result, win a free concert for Baylor.

ONE Campaign-Baylor finished the ONE Campus Challenge ranked no. 3 among colleges and universities across the United States. The ONE Campus Challenge is a contest that seeks to promote student involvement and advocacy regarding the ONE Campaign's core issues of fighting extreme poverty and preventable diseases around the globe.

As a result of their third place finish in the challenge, ONE Campaign-Baylor and the other top 10 schools in the competition will compete in a final challenge for a free concert by national recording artist, Vampire Weekend, and opportunities for students to win prizes from the Red Campaign, which focuses on fighting AIDS.

"We hope to give our campus one final push to help Baylor become the No. 1 leader in the fight against extreme poverty and global diseases," said Justin Kraleman, President of the ONE Campaign and junior biology major from Chesterfield, Mo. "We also want to win a concert for our campus as a way of thanking so many of the people who have supported our chapter over the short time we have been an organization on campus."

In an effort to win the final challenge, ONE Campaign-Baylor will begin "ONE Week" on Saturday, March 21, with "A Day of Service," where students will volunteer at the World Hunger Relief Farm from 1 to 4 p.m.

On Sunday, ONE Campaign-Baylor will host "Faith and ONE" from 7 to 10 p.m. in the den of the Bill Daniel Student Center. At this event, Tihara Vargas, a graduate of George W. Truett Theological Seminary and the chair for District of Care, will give a presentation on the issues of poverty and how they are related to faith and religion. Following her lecture, local musicians will perform acoustic worship music. Artists include Michelle Piland, Laura Webb, Macy Phenix, Kyle Walker and John Mark Lowry.

On Monday, ONE Campaign Baylor will show a documentary, "The Sons of Lawala" at 7 p.m. in D109 of the Baylor Science Building. The documentary tells the story of two African brothers who defy odds, travel to America to become doctors and return home to open a medical clinic. Baylor Social Work professor Jon Singletary and other Baylor faculty will lead a discussion before and after the movie screening.

Tuesday, ONE Campaign-Baylor will "Storm the Dorms" from 5 to 7 p.m. Representatives from ONE Campaign-Baylor will be on hand in all residence halls to talk to students about the issues of extreme poverty and disease. Also on Tuesday, Common Grounds and Hearts and Crafts will be giving 10 percent discounts to anyone who is wearing a ONE wrist band, which will be free to anyone who signs up for the campaign.

The week will conclude Wednesday with a "Day of Thanks," where those who have showed their support for the campaign will receive free admission to the Dr Pepper Museum from 2 to 5 p.m. with the presentation of a ONE wrist band.

"The main focus of the 'ONE Week' is to integrate the numerous aspects that make our chapter of the ONE Campaign unique into a series of events to promote ONE in a very big way," Kralemann said.

The ONE Campaign-Baylor was chartered by Baylor students in the spring of 2008 with the intention of propelling Baylor into the forefront in the fight against extreme poverty. The ONE Campaign-Baylor focuses on educating students, faculty and community members on poverty issues and equipping them to become advocates for the more than one billion people in the world who live on less than $1 a day.

"As a Christian university, we have a common moral mindset to make a positive impact in the world around us," Kralemann said. "Baylor has continually integrated faith into an academic setting on campus, while continually promoting service to others. These qualities align with the goals of the ONE Campaign and thus provide a great opportunity for students to live out their faith."
For more information on the ONE Campaign visit www.one.org. For more information on ONE week, please contact Justin Kralemann at Justin_Kralemann@Baylor.edu.