 | | | Photo provided | | | | | | Last year, Lafayette middle-schooler Cooper Smith decided to donate his birthday money to support Nothing But Nets. This year, however, he took to the Net - the Internet - to tweet and post videos of himself and 15 of his friends shooting basketball trick shots to raise awareness about the global, grassroots organization dedicated to fighting malaria by sending insecticide-treated mosquito bed nets to children and families in sub-Saharan Africa.
"This year my birthday [had] a basketball theme - but I didn't really need a new basketball hoop or sneakers. I just want others to know about malaria and how it easily it can be prevented," said Cooper. "So for my birthday, I [hosted] a trick shot competition to raise awareness for Nothing But Nets at Oakwood in Lafayette, and help make sure kids don't get sick from malaria. My best friend is doing one as well. We hope others will join in."
The idea was part of the month-long United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign launched to challenge Americans across the country to "Compete to Beat Malaria." 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 can reduce the spread of malaria by 90 percent in areas with high coverage rates. Together with its UN partners, the Nothing But Nets campaign has delivered more than 7 million bed nets since 2006.
When asked why he chose Nothing but Nets, Cooper responded: "So why do I believe in Nothing But Nets so much? Well, first, $10 to save one life is crazy. And that net is just so helpful. And malaria is just a terrible thing that is simply caused by mosquitoes. And if you can just deny the mosquitoes, that is all you really have to do. It is as simple as that. Plus, Nothing But Nets is really something special. When people donate to a charity, all they want is the organization to be is (1) cheap and (2) helpful. Nothing But Nets is extremely cheap and extremely helpful at the same time. Which is why I love it so much."
Cooper's twin brother, Devon, also caught the philanthropic bug and asked friends and family to donate in lieu of gifts for his birthday to IDEO.org, a non-profit organization focused on social intervention to impact global poverty. Both boys raised over $2,185 collectively for their chosen organizations. For more information about Nothing But Nets, visit www.NothingButNets.net.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA