Nothing But Nets

The Commale family—Anthony, Lynda, Katherine and Joseph—have teamed up to fight malaria in their church, community and local schools.

Six-year-old, Katherine and her family have been raising awareness and money for bed nets, ONE BED NET AT A TIME. It was the PBS program "Malaria: Fever Wars" that compelled Lynda to take action, as she learned not only of the devastating impact of malaria, how it kills a child in Africa every 30 seconds, but also of the incredible ease by which this deadly disease can be prevented—by sleeping under an insecticide-treated bed net.

Katherine and Lynda made their first bed net presentation during Labor Day Weekend 2006 at their church in Pennsylvania. To reach the church youngsters, they displayed actual bed nets, performed skits, crafted bookmarks and used a handmade diorama, constructed by Katherine and her three year-old brother Joseph. During the holiday season, children from Katherine's church and local community as well as her neighborhood friends and even her little brother hand-decorated over 600 gift certificates, allowing gift givers to purchase bed nets in honor of a friend, teacher or family member. The certificates were a huge success, and by Christmas, Katherine and her mother had raised over $10,000, reaching their fundraising goal for 2006. 

On January 4th, 2007, Katherine and Lynda participated in the NothingButNets.net launch in NYC where they were honored for their fund raising efforts. In front of bright lights and cameras, Katherine used her handmade diorama to show how a mosquito net covers a sleeping family in their home. It was an exciting time and they were thrilled to share their story, which has spread nationally through United Methodist Churches.

On April 25, 2007, Africa Malaria Day, Katherine and her parents attended the first ever Malaria Awareness Day at the White House in Washington, DC. They had the opportunity to hear the First Lady and President speak about the nation’s dedication to preventing this heartbreaking and debilitating disease. They also had the chance to spend time with Kyle Korver, Philadelphia 76ers NothingButNets Representative. Katherine enjoyed the African dance performance and especially enjoyed the President’s drumming and dancing.

In May, 2007 Lynda gave bed net presentations to Ancillae-Assumpta Academy, where her husband Anthony is a 7th and 8th grade math teacher. The school has made a pledge to bring awareness to the tragic malaria situation in Africa. Later in the month, St. Joseph’s University head basketball coach, Phil Martelli joined Lynda at the school’s sports luncheon where he will spoke about the importance of leadership and the Commales’ mission.

Currently, Katherine and her mother have raised over $40,000!

It’s pretty simple folks. Spend $10. Send a net. Save a life.

Please help us send more bed nets to Africa by either joining or sponsoring our team, ONE BED NET AT A TIME.