Beyond the Pitch: DaMarcus Beasley Joins Nothing But Nets to Fight Malaria
Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) June 19, 2014 -- Today, Nothing But Nets announced its newest champion in the fight against malaria – American soccer player DaMarcus Beasley. Currently playing for the United States men's national soccer team (USMNT) at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, the star defender is leveraging his talent and voice to raise awareness for the United Nations Foundation campaign.
Today, Beasley announced his World Cup Challenge, committing to donate 25 insecticide-treated bed nets to families in sub-Saharan Africa for every U.S. win in the World Cup. He’ll also donate 10 nets for every tie. He’s calling on U.S. soccer fans, like The American Outlaws, to join his challenge by hosting World Cup watch parties and matching his donations to the campaign.
“The World Cup is the biggest global stage to bring awareness to a global killer like malaria,” said Beasley. “I’m challenging fans, clubs, and players to join me in sending nets and saving lives.”
Beasley and the U.S. men’s team will meet opponent Portugal this Sunday, at 6 p.m. ET at Arena Amazônia in Manaus. The USMNT won its first World Cup game against Ghana on Monday in an exciting 2-1 matchup. They will also meet Germany next week in its final game of the opening Group G matches.
Beasley also hopes to get soccer youth at schools and camps across the country involved in the fight against malaria. The Beasley National Soccer School of Fort Wayne, Indiana is one such program.
“We’re thrilled to have DaMarcus join us in the fight against malaria,” said Chris Helfrich, Director of the Nothing But Nets campaign. “We hope U.S. soccer fans will rally around saving lives as they cheer on our World Cup team. It doesn’t matter if you’re playing in the World Cup or watching from home – anyone can make a difference.”
Soccer has been integral to the success of the Nothing But Nets campaign. MLS WORKS has been a campaign partner since 2007 and helped send hundreds of thousands of bed nets to families in need. MLS teams and players all over the country have hosted games, tournaments, and challenges to help Nothing But Nets send nets and save lives.
Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to raise awareness and funds to fight malaria, a leading killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Together with its UN partners, the Nothing But Nets campaign has delivered more than 7 million bed nets since 2006.
Malaria is a deadly disease, transmitted by a single mosquito bite. Malaria kills more than 600,000 people worldwide every year and claims the life of a child every 60 seconds. But bed nets provide a simple, cost-effective solution and some research has shown they can reduce the spread of malaria by 90 percent in areas with high coverage rates.
Visit http://www.NothingButNets.net to learn more about hosting a World Cup watch party, or donate $10 to help send a net and save a life.
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Contact:
Rachel Henderson
Senior Communications Officer, Nothing But Nets
rhenderson(at)unfoundation(dot)org
202.739.2782
About Nothing But Nets
Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation in 2006. Since then, Nothing But Nets has raised more than $50 million to send more than 7 million bed nets to families across sub-Saharan Africa. Campaign partners include the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares, The people of The United Methodist Church, and Major League Soccer’s MLS WORKS It only costs $10 to provide an insecticide-treated bed net that can prevent this deadly disease. Visit http://www.NothingButNets.net to send a net and save a life.
About The United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit http://www.unfoundation.org.
Rachel Henderson, United Nations Foundation, +1 (570) 259-2205, [email protected]
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