April 21, 2008
Bowling
Green, Ky. - 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, Georgie James, Martin Royle and Pash.
“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.”
As a result of their efforts, WKU students have won the grand prize show. The show will take place on April 29 at the Capitol Arts Center in Bowling Green. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m.
Army of Me, touring partners of Dave Matthews Band, the Killers, Panic at the Disco and Paramore, will headline the show. Indie it-band Georgie James and one of Spin Magazine’s favorite new artists Martin Royle and Pash will also perform. Bono, lead singer of U2 and ONE Campaign co-founder, and Chris Daughtry will give special messages to the WKU students.
In addition to the performances, audience members will receive free gifts like (RED) iPods, (RED) GAP clothes, (RED) Converse shoes, ONE gear, gift certificates and more.
The show is free and open to all ages. Students and members of the Bowling Green community are welcome.
To print a free ticket and for more information about the concert, visit http://www.one.org/campus/theprize.html
WKU and the ONE Campus Challenge
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.
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 10 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 WKU’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.
WKU used its 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 WKU’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:
- Mayor Elaine Walker signed a proclamation declaring Bowling Green, the fourth largest city in the state, to be a “ONE City.”
- WKU President 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, visit http://vimeo.com/837203.
ONE Campus Challenge participants learned of WKU’s victory via a video announcement now posted on the ONE Campus Challenge blog. To view the video announcement click on http://www.one.org/campus/blog/2008/04/09/who-won-the-campus-challenge/.
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.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.
For information, contact Kimberly Cadena at (202) 669-0802 or Azurdee Garland at (270) 745-2459.
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