Nothing But Nets

Our last day in Philadelphia started off with 120 enthusiastic students at Mann Elementary School.  A classroom at Mann Elementary raised funds for Nothing But Nets for two consecutive years. We definitely thought this was something worth recognizing.  Joining our Nothing But Nets team that morning was Minister Byrd, from the Mayor’s Office of Faith Based Initiatives, and Lynda Commale, one half of the mother-daughter team that raised $60,000 for bed nets over the last couple of years. 

After viewing a couple of malaria videos and listening to an informative malaria learning session with Adrianna Logalbo, our energetic group of 4th graders were called up on stage to receive a certificate of appreciation from our campaign, as well as a very warm hug from Lynda.

Nothing But Nets' second stop of the Philadelphia City Tour last week was at the University of Pennsylvania to host a malaria workshop.  Dr. Akhil Vaidya, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Drexel University College of Medicine; and Dr. David Roos, Professor of Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, joined us as expert speakers for the event.  Markley Foreman and Rodrigo Barcenas, two University of Pennsylvania seniors and Nothing But Nets supporters, also participated on the panel.

Deputy Director Adrianna Logalbo opened the workshop with an introduction of the speakers and by noting the importance of malaria prevention.  Dr. Vaidya then took the floor with a detailed presentation about the global malaria burden and disease agents.  Next, Dr. Roos discussed integrated malaria control strategies, including drugs, vaccines, insecticides, bed nets and other measures.  

Combining their experiences in entertainment, fashion and professional sports, three friends, Ben Tenzer, Michael Tellem, and Whitney Port (from MTV’s reality show "The Hills") recently teamed up to save lives from malaria.  A week ago, they held a fundraiser for Nothing But Nets in New York City!

The birthday party/fundraiser was hosted at Il Bastardo, an Italian Steakhouse & Wine Bar in the heart of Chelsea. In order to attend the event, Ben, Mike, and Whitney asked friends to make a $50 donation to Nothing But Nets. 

Yesterday we kicked off the Nothing But Nets City Tour in the City of Brotherly Love with the proclamation of Nothing But Nets Week in Philadelphia. We were joined by our partners in Mayor Nutter’s Office, Governor Rendell’s Office and the United Methodist Church to start a great week of events across the city to raise awareness about malaria.

Bishop Peggy Johnson with the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference of the United Methodist Church challenged the community to donate just $10 to save a life – highlighting that Philadelphia’s own Katherine Commale, a seven-year-old, has already raised over $60,000!

The Clinton Global Initiative is an annual conference in New York City that brings together global leaders to address the world’s most pressing challenges. So it was no wonder that 7-year-old Katherine Commale, an MVP Nothing But Nets Netraiser, was there as well!

On Sept. 26, Katherine stood with President Bill Clinton, Kathy Calvin, Executive Vice President of the United Nation’s Foundation, David Stern, the Commissioner of the National Basketball Association, and Antonio Guterres, the High Commissioner of the UN High Commission for Refugees, to announce a new effort to raise funds for urgently needed nets for refugees in Africa.

Last week, amid the hubbub of the UN General Assembly and CGI, I received a kind invitation from Nothing But Nets to an event highlighting two worthwhile new endeavors.

Along with tasty treats, the main event was the launch of Exiled, a new show on MTV that is supported by the UN Foundation and Nothing but Nets. Fans of My Super Sweet 16 will find the format familiar, but this time the, what I'll gently call "overly attended to," rich kids spend some time with local families in the developing world. Here we saw Ava, who made her entrance into her sweet 16 party on a red chaise carried by shirtless Loyola polo players, visit a Karen village in Thailand (full episode). One of her tasks was cleaning up elephant dung. I think you can see where this is going.

Tomorrow Nothing But Nets is bringing a City Tour to Philadelphia!  Our over-sized mosquito mascot will be out and about, and we’ll have some bed net displays where you can send messages of hope to refugees in camps in Africa.  The only thing we need now is you! 

Our events kick-off on Wednesday and finish up on Friday Come check out our opening rally in Dilworth Plaza to start the events of the week.  A local choir will get things started, and then we’ll hear from our dedicated partners on what they are doing in the Philly area to combat malaria – and they’ll share how you can best get involved.  We’ll have free giveaways and an opportunity to chat with Nothing But Nets staff to get more information!
 

Yesterday at the United Nations, an impressive group of leaders gathered to discuss the Millennium Development Goals, with a special focus on malaria. Attendees included the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, U2 lead singer Bono, Bill Gates, and 13-year-old star Nothing But Nets fundraiser Kevin Vernimb.

As we sat in this high level meeting, we heard commitments in the millions towards the elimination of malaria. Kevin's $10,000 commitment was also highlighted by UN Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers. He noted that Kevin's success to raise funds through Nothing But Nets is representative of the U.S. public's enthusiasm to send nets and save lives.