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A group of Drury University students is doing its part to help others halfway across the globe by raising political awareness on campus and around Springfield. These students are involved in a group called ONE Drury.

ONE is an organization focused on eradicating “extreme poverty and preventable diseases, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa,” according to Gordon Wong, the manager of college organizing at ONE’s national headquarters. ONE’s chapter at Drury holds various awareness activities such as an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet and a Grassroots Soccer tournament in order to rally college students behind their cause.

Each university’s chapter competes nationally through various challenges during the year. At the end of the year, the winning chapter earns a prize for its campus, such as a documentary screening or social event.

“I joined ONE Drury because I felt the mission and goals of the organization aligned with my own goals in life,” says freshman Bre Legan. “I particularly like that ONE does not raise money, but rather awareness of the issues. I genuinely feel that I have the ability to make a difference through this group.”

ONE’s current challenge focuses on raising awareness for the Energize Africa Act. Last year, the act passed through the House of Representatives and is currently being pushed through the Senate.

The group hopes to get political backing and have members of the community write letters to Missouri’s senators about the act. Sen. Roy Blunt has already signed onto the act, and ONE chapters around the state are working to get Sen. Claire McCaskill to support it as well.

Energize Africa is a bipartisan act working to provide more than 50 million people access to electricity for the first time. This will enable vaccines to be refrigerated and children to study without having to walk many miles to the nearest light source. It also shows that the United States is committed to provide electricity for Africa, supporters say.

Organizations such as ONE are important because, as Wong puts it, “campuses are a powerful political voice that people often ignore.” ONE will continue to raise awareness for a variety of causes throughout the year.

Story by Trevor Cobb, writing major at Drury University