The ONE Campaign Bus Comes to Baylor

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

The ONE Campaign's ONE Bus will be in Fountain Mall on the Baylor University campus from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, to raise awareness of global poverty issues in the presidential election.

The One Campaign is a global organization dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable diseases around the world.

"The ONE Campaign is a national campaign 'To Make Poverty History,'" said Justin Kralemann, the President of Baylor's ONE chapter, The ONE Campaign-Baylor. "It is a collaborative non-partisan effort of more than 2.5 million Americans from every walk of life and every side of the political spectrum working to create ONE voice in the fight against extreme poverty."

The ONE Bus has been traveling across America over the past few months in an effort to raise awareness about the simple ways America can respond to global concerns such as AIDS, malaria, lack of clean water and education. It has made appearances at both the Republican and the Democratic National Conventions.

The bus is part of the ONE Campaign's presidential outreach effort, "ONE Vote '08," which aims to raise awareness of these issues in the election and secure commitments from both presidential candidates to address the issues during their first term as president. The ONE Vote '08 effort combines ONE's grassroots organization with an unprecedented nonpartisan team of political strategists, policy experts, security and military advisers, entertainers and influential faith leaders.

The ONE Bus will join members of The ONE Campaign-Baylor to inform students on poverty issues and how they can make a difference in the Waco and Baylor communities. They also will pass out free t-shirts and ONE wrist bands.

The ONE Campaign-Baylor was chartered by Baylor students last spring 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.

"My hope is that students at Baylor would realize their potential in making an impact in the world," Kralemann said. "Often, we become overwhelmed with statistics and we tend to shut off anything that has to do with extreme poverty or other global issues. However, as with any historical movement, individuals coming together for a common cause can make a big impact."

"As a Christian university, I believe the ONE Campaign coincides with Baylor's beliefs and it creates an excellent avenue to live out our faith," Kralemann said. "The ONE Campaign is an easy way to pass on the many blessings we have been given."

For more information on the ONE Campaign visit www.one.org or contact Justin Kralemann at Justin_Kralemann@Baylor.edu.