Yesterday, recognizing #GivingTuesday, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry announced that he is supporting the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign.
Curry has committed to “Gift a Net” in honor of each of his teammates, sending life-saving bednets to protect families in sub-Saharan Africa from malaria.
#GivingTuesday, December 2, 2014, harnesses the power of social media and the generosity of people around the world to celebrate the power of giving. Following the so-called Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday retail milestones that kick off the holiday shopping season, #GivingTuesday is intended to inspire people to take collaborative action to give back in better, smarter ways to the causes they celebrate and help create a better world.
“#GivingTuesday reminds us that we can all have an impact on the world,” said Curry. “I cannot help but think about the parents I met in Tanzania who just want to protect their children from malaria. A $10 net makes all the difference.”
Just last month Curry announced he’s again leading his Three for Three Challenge by donating three life-saving nets to Nothing But Nets for every three-pointer he makes in the 2014-15 season. The Warriors also announced it will match Curry’s Challenge up to $5,000. During his first two seasons running the Challenge (2012-13 & 2013-14), Curry donated 1,599 nets to protect thousands of families from malaria.
“We are so fortune to have Stephen as a Champion,” said Nothing But Nets Director Chris Helfrich. “It’s because of Stephen and thousands of other supporters that we’ve played a critical role in reducing the rate of childhood malaria deaths by almost half in the last ten years.”
Anyone can Gift a Net in honor of their friends and loved ones through the Nothing But Nets campaign. It costs $10 to provide a life-saving net to protect a family from malaria – so they can celebrate many more holidays together. In return, Nothing But Nets will send a personalized holiday card to your loved ones, letting them know you chose to Gift a Net in their honor.
The Gift a Net campaign was inspired by Nothing But Nets Champions like Lynda and Katherine Commale, the incredible mother-daughter duo from Downingtown, Pennsylvania. In 2006, they started their own fundraising campaign through their church to raise funds for Nothing But Nets, including selling holiday gift certificates to send nets to families in Africa. Together they’ve raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the campaign.
Malaria is a deadly disease, transmitted by a single mosquito bite. Malaria kills more than 600,000 people worldwide every year, and kills a child every 60 seconds. But nets provide a simple, cost-effective solution that can stop the spread of malaria and save lives.
Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to raise awareness and funds to fight malaria. Together with its UN partners, the Nothing But Nets campaign has helped deliver more than 7.5 million nets since 2006.
