FINAL Night Commute Details

The overnight location for the Invisible Children Global Night Commute will be at Jacob's Well Church in midtown. It is forecasted to rain, so sleeping will happen indoors unless the skies are clear. Meet at the JC Nichols Fountain at 6pm, then the commute will begin around 8pm. Many activities will take place throughout the night. See two posts below for more info and contacts. Spread the word!

Also, KU for Uganda is holding a benefit concert/CD release party this Friday (April 28th) at 10:00 PM at the Jackpot (943 Massachusetts, Lawrence, KS) to help with relief efforts for northern Ugandans. The concert is called SLAM AIDS, and all profits will go to the Kairos Medical Clinic in Kampala, which serves the displaced population, especially HIV patients. The CD is called Emirembe Now! ("emirembe" is the Luganda word for "hope"), and the profits from it will go to the Hope Integrity Orphanage, which is home to formerly abducted child soldiers and AIDS orphans.

This could be you. . .

Here's a few pictures from the AIDS Walk in Kansas City last Saturday, April 22. Thanks so much to everyone who helped out both with the Walk and especially with the ONE table. You all are the best!

Top: Tim Sweeney and Rachel Bonar working the ONE table at AIDS Walk.
Bottom: Rachel and Matt Pierce, showing off his ONE art.
Thanks to Nate Jackson for the photography!

Also, please read the previous post (below) for details on the Invisible Chidren Global Night Commute this Saturday!

Global Night Commute Details!

We want YOU to join us.

Every night for 20 years, thousands of children in Northern Uganda have commuted on foot from their rural villages to sleep in the center of their cities for fear of abduction from a violent rebel army, the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army). On April 29th in over 130 cities across the country, thousands are lying down demanding that our government take a stand. We can be the catalyst that puts an end to night commuting, mass child abduction, and the horrific 20-year war in NORTHERN UGANDA.

The Global Night Commute in Kansas City

Hundreds of us in Kansas City will be meeting at the JC Nichols Fountain (on the Plaza - West 47th Street, between JC Nichols Parkway and Main Street, KCMO) on Saturday, April 29th from 6-10 pm. Come be part of the movement. Bring your energy…as well as paper, markers and pens. We’ll be writing letters to our government and the children in Uganda. Walking around the park. Talking with each other and those passing by. Waving signs.

The filmmakers met with key senators, lobbyists, non-governmental organization leaders in Washington DC and were told a gathering such as this will be instrumental in urging action that will lead to peace in this region of the world. You can be a voice that says: “The people and children of Uganda are deeply valuable. This war must end.”

The Pre-Event

Tuesday, April 25th at Jacob’s Well (1617 W 42nd St, KCMO) from 6-9 pm. Come see the screening of “Invisible Children: Rough Cut.” Connect with like-hearted people. Get more details about the crisis in Northern Uganda and the Kansas City Commute. Bring a t-shirt (we’ll be making shirts to wear on Saturday).

All are invited. Yes dad, even you. And grandma too!
Have questions? Email Ivy: iveslife@yahoo.com

The Facts
Northern Ugandan is called the worst humanitarian crisis in the world today because of the lack of international attention
2 million people forced from their homes
30,000 children abducted to fight as soldiers
More than 40,000 children commuting nightly
130 people die each day in Northern Uganda due to violence

The start of Invisible Children came in 2003 when three naïve filmmakers from Southern California flew to Africa in search of a story that would change the world. What they discovered in Northern Uganda both disgusted and inspired them. They documented their findings in a film called “Invisible Children: Rough Cut.” The organization is dedicated to ending the war in Northern Uganda when children are abducted and forced to fight with the rebel army as soldiers. For more information go to www.invisiblechildren.com


“If you will protest courageously, and yet with dignity…when the history books are written in future generations, the historians will have to pause and say, “There lived a great people…who injected new meaning and dignity into the veins of civilization. Almost always, the creative, dedicated minority has made the world better.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Education awareness!

Want to be a part of giving every child a good education? Click here to be a part of "Send my friend to school" Week!

Also, we're looking for volunteers to help set-up and tear-down for the 18th Annual AIDS Walk this weekend. If you can help, show up at Theis Park south of the Nelson Art Gallery at 1pm-4pm on Friday the 21st, or Noon-2pm on Saturday the 22nd!

Otherwise, don't forget about all the other upcoming events listed in the previous post.
Additionally, on TUESDAY the 25th there will be an Invisible Children Global Night Commute Rally at Jacob's Well Church. Please spread the word about the Commute happening the evening of April 29th, kicking off from JC Nichols Fountain at 6pm!

Finally, a few people have been interested in the upcoming Troost Festival. Click here for more info.

Monday Meeting & Upcoming Events

Our third-Monday-of-the-month meeting is this Monday the 17th at Black Dog Coffeehouse in Lenexa. 12815 W. 87th Street. In the meeting room, 7pm. It's going to be a good one as we begin to gear up for summer and will participate in a lot of cool events, festivals, concerts, etc. Also, Monday we'll be educating ourselves on some different issues related to ONE so that when we go to these events, we'll know what we're talking about! So we'll see you Monday at 7.

Below is the upcoming events calendar! Please note the local volunteer meeting dates and locations!

Saturday, April 22
AIDS Walk Kansas City
Theis Park (across from the
Nelson Art Gallery)
8am Registration, 9:30am Walk

Saturday, April 29 (thru Sunday AM)
Global Night Commute
JC Nichols Fountain (Plaza)
6pm

Monday, May 1
Local Volunteer Meeting
Jacob’s Well Church, 1617 W. 42nd St. KC, MO. 3rd floor. 7pm.

Monday, May 15
Local Volunteer Meeting
Black Dog Coffeehouse
12815 W. 87th St, Lenexa
Meeting Room, 7pm.

Sunday, May 21
Troost Festival
3100 block of Troost Ave.
1pm-8pm

Wednesday, May 31
Dave Matthews Band Concert
Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Likewise, if you would like to volunteer at any of the above events at the ONE table, please comment on this blog and we'll contact you! (OR come to the meetings) ;)

Aid flows top USD 100 billion in 2005

Have you ever been telling someone about the ONE Declaration and the US Government giving more aid to poverty issues, and they doubt that our government helps at all, more or less that it's willing to reach the ONE goal? Read below for some good statistics on the US and other countries' assistance for global poverty. And be encouraged--it's a long journey--but progress IS being made!
This article is on DATA.org today:
"Official development assistance (ODA) to developing countries from member countries of the OECD’s (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) Development Assistance Committee rose 31.4% to USD 106.5 billion in 2005 – a record high. It represents 0.33% of the Committee members’ combined Gross National Income in 2005, up from 0.26% in 2004. Aid in the form of debt relief grants increased more than 400% between 2004 and 2005, while other aid increased 8.7% in the same period. . . . "
"The largest donor in 2005 was the United States, followed by Japan, the United Kingdom, France and Germany. The only countries to exceed the United Nations target for ODA of 0.7% of GNI were, as for some years now, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. . . "
Click here for the complete article

Heads Up!

A little heads up about our upcoming local volunteer meetings. Due to a growing interest of volunteers who live on the Kansas side, we're going to accomodate one another a bit more. Therefore, the first Monday of the month, we'll meet at Jacob's Well in Midtown, and the THIRD Monday of the month, we'll meet at the BLACK DOG COFFEEHOUSE @ 12815 W 87th Street Pkwy, Lenexa, KS (in the meeting room). So...we'll remind you as our third monday meeting draws near, but just get ready to cross the state line once a month, one way or the other! See you then.

Local Volunteer Meeting on Monday!

1. Our next regular volunteer meeting is this Monday, April 3, at 7pm at Jacob's Well Church, 1617 W. 42nd St., 3rd floor. We'll be getting back to our schedule of meeting on the 1st and 3rd Mondays ofthe month.
2. Over the course of our next handful of Monday meetings (excluding this week's), we'll be informing one another on different issues of poverty, and how ONE approaches them. So if you're hesitant to volunteer at an event or come to a meeting because you feel uninformed--then we're about to fix that--together! So don't miss the upcoming volunteer meetings.
3. Everyone say a big THANK YOU to Sarah Mueller, the beautiful lady who usually sends your emails, for putting so much time and effort into helping US get involved with ONE. She's the best..and her efforts are never-ceasing.
4. For those of you interested in more about "Invisible Children", here's a great source for balanced, accurate news from Uganda--keep yourself informed about what's happening there! http://www.monitor.co.ug