At the halftime show of last night’s MLS game between D.C. United and the Chicago Fire, Makita presented Nothing But Nets with a giant $100,000 check to represent their gift to the Campaign – and I was the lucky one to accept on behalf of the UN Foundation and Nothing But Nets!
Five minutes before half-time I went to our Nothing But Nets booth (we got to pass out t-shirts to donors and talk to fans about malaria) to be escorted down to the field with Ryan McKenna from Makita and D.C. United’s Nothing But Nets spokesman, Ben Olsen. There were 10 excited girls each holding a sign that said “Saving 1,000 Lives” which was is a brilliant representation of the more than 10,000 lives saved by this generous donation. All 13 of us were ushered onto the field, cameras rolling, and Ryan from Makita presented us with the giant check that will shortly be put to use covering African children with protective bed nets.
It was such an exciting experience to be on the field with fans screaming and jumping up and down, literally so much that I could see the bleachers rocking precariously. Thank you Makita! And thanks to D.C. United and MLS W.O.R.K.S for helping spread the word about how easy it is to send a net and save a life!