Nothing But Nets Blog

Kobe Bryant may have been named MVP of the NBA All-Star game, but we think the true Champions of All-Star weekend are the thousands of basketball fans who came out to Jam Session to send a net and save a life with Nothing But Nets.

Fans from around the country gathered in Los Angeles, CA for the 60th NBA All-Star game and visited our Nothing But Nets court to be a “Champion in the fight against malaria” by sinking a net and saving a life on our court. Even NBA Legend and Nothing But Nets Champion, Dikembe Mutombo, brought his family by our court to send nets! 

With an important goal at hand, fans stepped up and made 3,391 life-saving shots to send 3,391 nets to Africa!

Check out our photos from All-Star weekend!

On January 15, 190 teams of motorists set off from Budapest, Hungary taking part in the Budapest-Bamako Great African Run. This unique driving race on unpaved roads stretches from Budapest, Hungary through Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal, ending in Bamako, Mali. Any “street legal” vehicle could take part -- if they could handle the rough, unpaved sections of the course -- reflecting the event’s principle: “Anyone. By Anything. In Any Way.”

So what was the goal? To drive nearly 2,500 miles to be the first to past the finish line in Bamako…and to raise $100,000 to send 10,000 bed nets and save lives!

It is thrilling to be in Seoul, Korea with all of the excitement leading up to the G20 Summit this week -- but you don’t need to be a world leader to make a difference. While G20 country leaders meet this week in Seoul to discuss the role of governments to address our global challenges, I had the honor of joining the UN Foundation’s Nets Go! campaign at the Korean National Assembly (Korea’s Congress) to discuss how each of us has the ability to address MDG 6, which includes fighting malaria.

I had the great honor of speaking to more than 9,000 young business leaders at Junior Chamber International’s (JCI) World Congress in Osaka, Japan.  JCI is one of Nothing But Nets’ largest partners, and it was uplifting to be in a room with these global citizens with huge hearts who use their skills, resources, and networks to create a positive impact. These business leaders come from over 115 countries and represent all walks of life -- from helping to run the family business in Hong Kong to working with international corporations in Monaco -- and they gathered in Osaka to discuss how to best help their local and global communities.

Yesterday I had the honor of joining a cadre of young leaders -- university students and young professionals -- in Seoul, Korea, as they joined the global movement to end malaria in Africa. Nets Go! is a new initiative providing Koreans the opportunity to send nets and save lives. During a three-day exhibit in Seoul City Plaza called "Night in Africa - Safe from Malaria," thousands of Koreans were able to experience the simplicity and beauty of a $10 (10,000 Korean won) life-saving bed net through an artistic display of illuminated bed nets. 3,000 volunteers, representing the number of lives we are working to save each day from malaria, came to the heart of Seoul to show their support for ending this deadly disease by 2015.

Move over, fish nets -- there is a new kind of netting on 5th Avenue. Meet Alexandra Taylor, a recent graduate from Parsons School of Design who has been raising awareness about malaria in a unique fashion.

When Rick Reilly wrote his article in Sports Illustrated titled "Nothing But Nets" in 2006 he talked about hoop nets, soccer nets, lacrosse nets, New Jersey Nets, dot-nets and clarinets. He never once mentioned fashion nets. But Alexandra Taylor, a Nothing But Nets supporter, took his words to heart and did what she does best: design clothes.

Now, you may remember last year's Ugly Betty season premiere in which Betty ran a fashion show inspired by the issue of malaria prevention that supported Nothing But Nets. Well, Betty must have taken notes from Alexandra because that is exactly what Alexandra has been doing for the past year. Her senior thesis was dedicated to incorporating the issue of malaria and the beauty of a bed net into her collection: bed net textures on blazers, soft netting material on blouses, mosquito patterns on silk belts, and more.

Alexandra hopes to continue to spread the buzz through net-inspired clothing by selling her scarves, belts, and the works to fashion (and philanthropic) minded individuals.

The Washington Mystics did not wait for the last buzzer to pull off an impressive win against the New York Liberty a week ago. Instead, they pulled ahead in the first quarter and sustained their advantage. That is exactly the same strategy the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church and the Mystics are playing in the matchup against malaria.

We are honored to present you with the Nothing But Nets™ 2009 annual report, an inspirational story of our collective efforts to save lives from malaria over the last three years. 

It is amazing to think that this campaign has grown from an 815 word article in Sports Illustrated to an award-winning, grassroots campaign that has raised more than $30 million and distributed more than 3 million life-saving bed nets in just three years. The reason for this success is simple: YOU - the hundreds of thousands of you that have donated $10 to Nothing But Nets™ and asked your communities to also send a net and save a life.

The Nothing But Nets™ campaign has become a story of students coming together through bake sales and coin drives, of bishops and basketball players taking a shot to knock out malaria, and of CEOs and individuals alike spreading the buzz so that more and more children in Africa can sleep safely from malaria. We invite you to browse the Nothing But Nets™ 2009 annual report to see how your story has helped to grow the movement to end malaria.

If anyone knows how to sink nets and save lives, it's the Davidson College men's basketball team. Last Saturday, the Davidson Wildcats held their second-annual "BUZZKILL Shoot-Out" to raise funds and awareness for Nothing But Nets. The event, spearheaded by senior guard Bryant Barr, involved a 3-on-3 tournament and live and online auctions.

Thirty teams from the Charlotte, North Carolina area came to the tournament with funds they had raised to go toward the purchase of life-saving bed nets. More funds raised meant a higher pick in a draft of Davidson College basketball players to coach their team for the day. Former Davidson All-American and current Golden State Warrior star Stephen Curry returned to his alma mater to join the coaching line-up and save lives!

While Houston-area boy scouts celebrated the Boy Scouts of America's 100th Anniversary with their "An Adventure of a Lifetime" event at Minute Maid Park a couple weeks ago, they also learned that they have the power to be leaders in a life-saving adventure: helping to end malaria deaths.

Nothing But Nets joined the event by quizzing scouts' knowledge of malaria through trivia questions. I was completely impressed! It was inspiring to meet young leaders that are aware of the impacts of malaria and determined to make a difference in their own communities. Many scouts are learning about Malaria 101 with their troops. Others are performing skits to their peers in their schools and communities to spread the buzz and the opportunity to send nets and save lives. Keep up the great work in Houston!

A couple weeks ago in California, Stephanie Rodriguez, Operations Manager for Orkin, Inc., joined Nothing But Nets at our public rally in San Francisco during our city tour, and then invited us to meet her team in Hayward. Stephanie challenged the Hayward team (and her grandmother!) to personally support the campaign, and as an extra benefit, the Hayward branch pledged to match each employee's donation. 

Then Orkin's regional office also agreed to match the funds raised; thus turning every one bed net into three life-saving nets! In less than 30 minutes the Hayward team raised enough funds for 87 bed nets!

To date Orkin, Inc. has helped to raise more than $135,000 and has now set a goal to raise more than $150,000 in 2009! We thank Orkin for their continued support in spreading awareness about malaria and for their leadership in the California community! 

Learn more about our partnership with Orkin.