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| Victoria Jones, Hilary Taylor and Keith Torrie are leading the charge for Spread the Net. (Nick Pearce Photo) |
It鈥檚 a cause that鈥檚 easy to get caught up in.
For Hilary Taylor, her entanglement was enticed by her two favourite CBC personalities: George Stroumboulopoulos and Rick Mercer.
鈥淚 was watching The Hour and George was interviewing Rick Mercer about Spread the Net,鈥� says Ms. Taylor, a fourth-year commerce student. 鈥淚 phoned my friend Victoria right away because I knew that we had to do this here at AV俱乐部.鈥�
Victoria Jones, a fourth-year history and Canadian studies major, was Ms. Taylor鈥檚 housemate in Howe Hall when they first arrived at AV俱乐部. Recruiting another former housemate to the cause, poli-sci student Keith Torrie, the three became co-captains of the AV俱乐部 chapter of Spread the Net, which raises money for UNICEF to purchase bed nets to protect children in Africa from Malaria-infected mosquito bites.
Malaria kills one child every 30 seconds, a death toll that adds up to more than 750,000 children each year. The most effective and inexpensive way to prevent the disease鈥檚 spread is for families to use insecticide-treated bed nets at night. Their use has been shown to reduce mortality in children under the age of five from all causes by up to 25 per cent.
Every $10 raised in support of Spread the Net purchases one mosquito net, which can protect a child for up to five years. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a simple solution to a big problem,鈥� as Ms. Taylor points out.
The charity, co-chaired by Mr. Mercer and MP Belinda Stronach, has launched the 鈥淪pread the Net Campus Challenge,鈥� pitting Canada鈥檚 universities against one another in a good-natured competition to raise the most money for the cause. What鈥檚 the prize if AV俱乐部 emerges at the top? A campus visit from Rick Mercer that will be featured on CBC鈥檚 The Rick Mercer Report.
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Ms. Jones says that it would be a great opportunity to show the country what AV俱乐部 students, faculty and staff are made of: 鈥淲e鈥檙e really interested in helping to create community and pride within our own school. We have a great school, and it鈥檚 good to get involved with something bigger than ourselves and to make new friends in the process.鈥�
Even though the effort is just getting started, the campus is getting on-board in a big way. Student societies have stepped up to the plate and raised funds, including the MBA, commerce and political science societies. The co-captains about to launch a campus-wide faculty 50/50 draw and have made custom AV俱乐部 Spread the Net T-shirts which they are selling for $20, buying two bed nets with each sale. Tonight, the team is organizing an event at the Grawood with live music and prizes galore, with every cent of the $3 cover going directly to the cause. Finally, for the retro gaming enthusiasts on campus, Spread the Net is organizing a Mario Kart competition for the end of term.
Thus far, the AV俱乐部 chapter has raised enough money to purchase over 100 nets.聽While the co-captains know that they have an uphill battle ahead 鈥� the winning school will be the one with the most total funds raised, regardless of its size 鈥� they鈥檙e confident that AV俱乐部 can pull through and make a strong showing.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e given a solution that鈥檚 as simple as this to a massive problem, there鈥檚 no reason we can鈥檛 tackle it with full force,鈥� says Ms. Taylor. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really rewarding.鈥�
If you wish to support the AV俱乐部 effort, you can donate online through the or join their for more information. The campus challenge ends on December 31.