Fair / 48° F
Church raising money for malaria fight
Published 11:13am Thursday, September 20, 2012Every 30 seconds, a child dies of malaria, and in many African countries, people don’t know how the disease is spread or how it could be prevented. Grace United Methodist Church has joined a worldwide campaign committed to eliminating deaths from malaria.
“We can prevent some innocent lives from being lost,” said mission commission chairwoman Carole Larson. “These children could be future doctors, ministers or scientists. That’s what really hit us. If something like that happened to young children in our nation, where would our future be?”
Malaria was eliminated in the United States in the 1950s, but it remains a serious health issue in other parts of the world. More than 1 million people die from the disease each year.
The church signed a pledge to raise $5,000 by 2015 for the Malaria No More organization. Instead of funding research and development, Malaria No More focuses on educating those in African countries and equipping them with the tools necessary to prevent contracting and spreading the disease.
One of the simplest, most effective ways to prevent the spread of malaria is to sleep under a net. It keeps away insects that spread the disease.
Children at the church have already raised $1,000, and plans for fundraising activities are in the works. The fundraising kickoff event will be a baked potato dinner from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23 in Fellowship Hall at Grace United Methodist Church. A variety of toppings will be available to turn an ordinary baked potato into a feast.
Larson encourages community members to stop by, have a potato and contribute to a good cause.
