Malaria No More is a charity that is
very close to my heart because for the past four years I’ve been working with
them in the goal to end malaria deaths in Africa by 2015. The purpose of Malaria No More is to raise
money in order to buy $10 bed nets which repel mosquitos while African children
and their families sleep at night.
Before Malaria No More’s existence, more than a million African children
were dying each year. Thanks to much
hard work and diligence, that number has significantly decreased by 25% since
2000, and we won’t stop until that number reaches zero.
Being
involved in charity, and knowing that you’re making a difference in the world
is a really inspiring feeling. I would
encourage everyone to take part a charity that has meaning to them. Raising money is actually very easy as well
because there are so many different things you can do. Over the past four years, I ran in four half
marathons; three in Nashville, Tennessee at the Country Music Marathon, and one
in Rochester, New York. Thanks to my
sponsors who included family, friends, teachers, and coaches, I was able to
raise over $1000 for Malaria No More. I
also made and sold ribbons for a dollar each at my school and made over $50
from that. There are so many other
options as well; car washes, bake sales, or even a dance fundraiser. With so many options, and such simple tasks,
everyone should really take the time someday to go out and raise money for
their favorite charity.
Many
celebrities have also donated a lot of time and money to Malaria No More. Hilary Clinton, Ashton Kutcher, John Legend,
Orlando Bloom, and American Idol stars Melinda Doolittle, Jordin Sparks and
Katherine McPhee are just a few who have reached out to help. Melinda Doolittle was actually my inspiration
to get involved with this charity, so if I can’t inspire you, maybe you’ll
follow in the footsteps of one of your favorite stars.
Please
help spread the word about Malaria No More and their efforts. The goal is to end Malaria deaths in Africa
by 2015, and though we are well on our way to reaching that goal, the more the
word is spread, the sooner we can reach that goal. Thank you!
