MEADVILLE, Pa. – Feb. 23, 2007 — The Allegheny College chapter of Nothing But Nets — a global grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa — will hold a fund-raiser at noon on Saturday, March 10 in the Wise Center Performance Gym.

Two basketball teams, made up of Allegheny faculty, coaches and staff, will take to the court in a contest in which the higher the score, the more money is raised to buy mosquito nets to protect children in Africa.

“This will be a highly interactive game where the fans help to raise the score by raising money,” says local Nothing But Nets organizer Molly McGravey, a junior at Allegheny College. “Each NBN team will have a sponsorship bin, and when the time is right, fans can come down from the stands and put money into their team's bin to raise the score two points.”

McGravey and Sarah Roncolato, pastor of Grace United Methodist Church in Meadville, have been working with the United Nations to establish a Nothing But Nets chapter at Allegheny College.

McGravey and Roncolato have cast their own nets wide in their efforts on behalf of the organization, mobilizing campus clubs, sororities, fraternities and sports teams in an effort to raise $25,000 for Nothing But Nets within the next year.

The NBN effort at Allegheny will have a strong educational component, with students working to educate their peers and the wider community about the malaria epidemic in Africa – and to educate themselves on how to conduct an effective fund-raising campaign.

Nothing But Nets was inspired by Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly, who challenged each of his readers to donate at least $10 for the purchase of an anti-malaria bed net.

Founding campaign partners include the National Basketball Association's NBA Cares, the People of the United Methodist Church, Malaria No More and Sports Illustrated. Other partners include VH-1, AOL Black Voices and Rotarians' Action Group on Malaria.

In addition, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to match gifts made to Nothing But Nets.

Allegheny College is one of the first colleges in the country to join the Nothing But Nets effort.
“We really hope the community will come out to the game on March 10 and support the fight against malaria,” says McGravey. “The more people who become involved, the better our chance of meeting our goal – not just in terms of raising money but in raising awareness, too.”

More information on Nothing But Nets can be found at www.nothingbutnets.org.