The Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta Launches its NetsforLife® Effort
The Diocese of Atlanta’s campaign began with the 2011 Annual Council. Bishop Alexander announced the goal of 35,000 nets.
A diocesan steering committee, convened by Episcopal Relief & Development and MDGs Coordinator Deborah Bruno Betsill and attended by representatives of all convocations and interested groups and individuals, met on Aug. 6 at the Cathedral of St. Philip. They planned the campaign and heard from the Centers for Disease Control’s Steve Smith, an expert on malaria and member of St. Bartholomew’s, Atlanta, and Joy Shigaki of the New York office for Episcopal Relief & Development.
The campaign will include all aspects of diocesan life together—adults, youth, children’s Sunday school, parish school students, preschoolers, seminarians, and church organizations—in short, anyone who participates in a NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund learning activity and purchases a net for $12. More abstract but equally important goals are creating grassroots energy, sensing unity in this effort, and building leadership at all levels of the church.
St. Bartholomew’s, Atlanta, kicked off its NetsforLife campaign by selling gift cards during Advent to those wishing to give nets as gifts. A whimsical hat with a balsawood mosquito model created interest and was a great conversation starter during Bishop Alexander's December visit.
Youth and young adults might want to follow the Cathedral of St. Philip's lead by setting up a group site for your parish for this year’s March Madness Bracket Tournament. For those unfamiliar with the event, it is based on predicting which college team will become the 2012 NCAA Basketball Champions by filling out elaborate round-robin spreadsheets called brackets. The tournament starts March 13 and ends when the Final Four teams playoff March 31– April 2.
A simple registration card with name, email address, and a $12 entry fee will be collected in advance of team announcements March 11 and then the contest organizer monitors the wins and losses. The contest winner will be the person whose bracket most closely matches the actual tournament bracket, but the real winners will be those who benefit from the nets purchased for NetsforLife®.
In 2009, the Episcopal Church, already supporting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the nets offered by Episcopal Relief & Development’s Gifts for Life, endorsed the NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund. Episcopal Relief & Development will again assume the lead within those countries where there is a strong Anglican presence and an environment harboring the most virulent forms of malaria and 90 percent of malaria deaths. 
Photo Courtesy of the Diocese of Atlanta for Episcopal Relief & Development
Photo Courtesy of the Diocese of Atlanta for Episcopal Relief & DevelopmentWhile much has been done to alleviate the presence of malaria, a clinical epidemic continues to rage, according to CDC’s research chemist Steve Smith. Insecticide-treated net eventually needs replacement to protect the children who die from malaria; one every minute.
Episcopal Relief & Development’s belief that “all of our programs are guided by an important underlying philosophy of empowerment and servant-hood” means “we try to leave no footprints,” Robert Radtke, president of Episcopal Relief & Development, said in 2009.
NetsforLife® works to develop a “net culture” by training local volunteers to distribute and track the nets, teach their neighbors how to use and maintain them, and how to access medical treatment when necessary. Education and ownership are central to the success of the program and the fight against malaria.
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