Volunteering for NETwork Against Malaria

Volunteering for NETwork and having a ball!

Get involved with someone, something, NOW!

Global Giving

I know I sound like a broken record, but support us on Global Giving! It makes a great holiday gift!

Congrats!

Congratulations to this year's NETwork Against Malaria 5k youth winners!

NETwork needs YOU!

Dear NETwork Team,

NETwork has another amazing opportunity- becoming listed on Global Giving's website. Getting on Global Giving is like the big leagues for a nonprofit. With people and companies all over the world having access to our information, we could make money in our sleep!

Remember all those times we got up at six am on a Saturday to prepare for an event? Well, we'll still probably do that, but there's a chance we could have been making money at 3 am while you were asleep too.

ONLY ONE LITTLE THING: We have to raise $4,000 from 5o different donors by DEMEBER 22!!

So now we need to get on our fundraisin' faces and makes some dough!

Ask friends family, ANYONE to donate. Dotations can be $10 or more sizable. ANY GIFT WILL BE APPRECIATED!

So get out there heros of fundraising, because NO TASK IS TOO DAUNTING- NO TASK IS IMPOSSIBLE!


(oh, by the way, here's the website you'll need!)
http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/network-against-malaria/

Thanksgiving

Thanks giving is a time to be thankful- for all the wonderful things we have in our lives. It is also a time to reflect on all the things that we can do to improve the lives of others.

As young volunteers, we realize that November is often a time for hunger awarness. Do some research on your community to learn about local hunger issues your community faces.

In my own community, more people are visiting food pantries which has caused them to run low and even run out. I volunteer at a food pantry and have been told stock is high around the holidays, but runs low throughout the rest of the year.

A great cause for you is a random hunger drive for your own community. Call your local food pantry to find out when food runs lowest and when your Non-Holiday Food Drive would be most needed.

Key Chain Days

So volunteering is sort of like making NETwork jewelry. Sometimes its a safety pin bracelet day and you feel like spending hours volunteering to alleviate the suffering of others. Other times it's a key chain day and a couple of minutes is just right. Either way, giving your time is great.

Weather you're in a safety pin mood or a key chain mood, there is always something you can do to help, always some way to get involved.

Up Coming Opportunities

Looking to get involved?

NETwork has some amazing upcoming opportunities for you to jump on.

1. Come to our 5K this Saturday! Register online at networkagainstmalaria.org. Bring your competitve nature and running shoes or bring your positive attitude and walk the distance. Either way, come out to support NETwork, our volunteer who organized the event, and the children of Uganda.
2. Join us for beading on Sunday. E-mail us if you're interested in this opportunity.
3. Start a chapter! Is there not a chapter in your area or are you looking to start something new? Send NETwork an e-mail and get your start-up kit in the mail!
4. Buy our jewelry. With Christmas just around the corner, you or someone special should be treated with our amazing jewelry.
5. Start NETwork-ing! Volunteer any where any time to get involved. Maybe blogging is even your thing. Send NETwork an e-mail for a more extensive list of up-coming events in your area or to learn how to set some up!
   

What You Can Do

Considering Fund raising for NETwork Against Malaria?

A little dough can go a long way in the fight against malaria. Get together with family, friends, classmates, teammates, clubs, groups, whatever and change the lives of children, pregnant women, and families across the globe!

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Sponsor three children- $10

For only $10 you can give a life-saving bednet to three impoverished children at our next net distribution.

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Sponsor a family- $40

For $40 you can give enough nets to protect a Ugandan family at our next net distribution.

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Sponsor a classroom- $300

For $300 you can donate nets for a grade school or high school class.

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Sponsor a school- $2,000

For $2,000 you can sponsor a rural school. Students will be protected from malaria, saving their lives and allowing them to attend school.

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Sponsor a village- $7,000

With your gift of $7,000, a rural village can be protected from malaria. This will give the community the opportunity to better their lives and lift themselves out of poverty.

The Glory of Picking Up Poop

As a volunteer at my local animal shelter, I’ve become all too familiar with the smell of bleach, the grit of hand sanitizer, and the sound of two sides of a pooper scooper clanking together. You’re probably wondering why I’d start there. I suppose I wanted to get the unpleasant part out of the way first. Now let’s get into what’s important.

The glory of picking up poop comes when you see the opportunity for second chances. Don’t get me wrong, I love the warm feeling of wiggly puppies in my hand, their small wet tongues tickling my face, and their enthusiastic curious head cocks that display the most adorable faces. That part’s definitely the most immediately gratifying, but it’s not the most rewarding.

It’s when you’ve watched the same old dog lie on a cement floor for days. It’s when that dog looks up at you with a look of desperation, abandonment, and a loss of hope. It’s when you see someone look into those eyes and make a connection. It’s whenever there’s the opportunity for a second chance.

There’s something amazing about that. There’s something wonderful about seeing the sparkle return to a loyal dog’s eyes.

That Time

It’s come. That dreaded time I’ve been warned about since freshman year- the time you have to fill in the blanks, check the boxes, and list volunteer hours/ extracurricular activities. That time has come and believe me some amazingly negative attitudes have followed. Some people race around school signing their names to lists and attending the bare minimum of meetings just so they can add it to their resume.

And I’m here to tell you something before this time comes to you.

Don’t make those people’s dumb mistakes. Work hard every year and do your best, because I promise that will be good enough.

If you want to enjoy high school, don’t do something to write it down. Do it because you love it. Don’t volunteer to tally hours; volunteer to make the hours meaningful.

Letter From Uganda

Below is a letter NETwork received from Stella Matutina secondary school in Uganda. The students and faculty of this girls' boarding school received nets in the October 2010 distribution. I thank you also for your support!

Dear friends,

Greetings from Stella Matutina Secondary School.

Stella Matutina is a girls' secondary school in Katulikire Holy Family Parish,Hoima Catholic diocese, Uganda.

A few days ago we received bed nets from your organisation through our parish priest Rev. Fr. Francis Banura. 315 girls( between the ages of 12-19yrs) and 27 staff members received the bed nets.

This effort will go along way in the fight against malaria. We believe as these girls are protected, they in turn will become the ambassodors of this noble struggle you are making. More so when they are healthy they will concentrate more in their studies.

On behalf of the school, I sincerely thank you for this great struggle and promise you our prayers.God bless you abundantly.

Sr. Josephine Acan

Head teacher

Stella Matutina Secondary School.

5K Walk And Run

Looking for a great way to help out, a good source of exercise and a chance to get involved in NETwork Against Malaria? Come out and show your support for NETwork Against Malaria at the First Annual 5K Walk and Run. Enjoy, food drinks, live music, while competing to ribbons in each age group. All money raised benefits NETwork Against Malaria Your $10 registration fee buys one bednet and saves three lives! NETwork Against Malaria needs your support. Come out for this fun day to promote awareness and celebrate a wonderful cause ! Register Online or View Registration Flyer Dates And Times - November 13, 2010 - Start Time 9:30 AM - Location: Family Sportsplex 2346 Mascoutah Avenue, Belleville, IL - Registration Starting at 8:00 AM - Cost: $10 for early registration $12 for day-of registration - All proceeds benefit NETwork Against Malaria, NFP Questions? 618-581-8000 or 618-233-6412 This run was organized by a high school senior, Conor Gardner. He needs your help! Come support NETwork Against Malaria's FIRST ANNUAL 5K!

3:45 in The Morning Early

The first day of school is stressful for everyone. There is no one in the world who can honestly say that they don’t even feel a little nervous as they walk through the doors to the first class. This year I woke up early-really early-3:45 in the morning early. At first I tried to go back to bed, but I realized that I was too antsy to do that. So, I got up and walked around my dark, lonely house. Not even my dogs got up with me. The sun had not risen yet and I could see the moon out off the glass door to my deck. I thought about watching t-v, but I decided that would ruin the perfect peace of half-night. I sat on the lazy-boy in my family room watching the moon make its journey across the night sky. There is something indescribably wonderful about being the only up in the house. I got dressed for the day around 5:30, but my family was still a couple of hours away from waking up, so I read a chapter from the novel I’d been working on, and gazed as the moon disappeared and the sun started to fill the morning with light. If you have never seen the sunrise I encourage you to set your alarm just one day, and then you can go back to sleep. It is defiantly worth seeing at least once in full consciousness. It is one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed, but also one of the saddest. As the sun begins to hoist itself into the air, it forces the mystery of the night away. I wanted that night to last as long as possible. There is something so magical about the night that I have always loved. Watching the sun rise is sort of like watching a superhero triumph over a much lesser villain that never really had a chance: you always think that you would want the superhero to win, but when the time comes you realize it was never a fair fight. You wind up feeling sorry for the little villain and secretly hope that he wins.