Jun 04 2008
Buy a net, save a life
What have sports fans, the NBA, the Lutherans and Methodists, and American Idol got in common? Nothing but nets.
Or, Nothingbutnets.net, to be exact. The organization raises money to buy bed nets to help stop the spread of malaria.
I initially heard of the organization a while back, when I read an article by Rick Reilly (formerly of Sports Illustrated, now with ESPN The Magazine). Rick Reilly Column The article explained how $10 would buy a net… and save a life.
Pretty humbling, huh?
Well, the idea has caught on, in a big way. Students on college campuses around the country are donating. The American Idol annual broadcast “American Idol Gives Back” has raised $6 million each of the last two years. Children are having bake sales to raise money.
According to an article in the June 2 edition of the New York Times (New York Times Article), Nothing but Nets has raised $20 million, an amazing amount until you consider that experts estimate it will take 2.5 BILLION to provide nets for all those that need them.
Thousands die every day from malaria. It is preventable by using something so simple, something so inexpensive. Buy a net, save a life. The life of a child, a mom, a dad.
Nothing but Nets is not the only organization to provide the nets, but it is the one that sports fans have taken to heart, in large part thanks to Rick Reilly.
Please follow the link and donate today. And please pass the web site on to your friends. If you have a blog, please post it on the blogroll. This is something we can all participate, and see immediate results.
