Local kids join 'Nothing But Nets' campaign
By Mary Shane Contributing Writer

Debbie Hennings, FUMC's Christian Education director PHOTO/MARY SHANE

Westborough - Think mosquitoes, not basketball. Think about ending the buzzing of a mosquito flying around a child's head, not a slam-dunk at the buzzer.

The Westborough First United Methodist Church's (FUMC) fourth- through eighth-grade kids will participate in the Nothing But Nets campaign beginning Sunday Nov. 11. Nothing But Nets is a global campaign to fight malaria.

The program began when Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly challenged his readers to donate $10 for the purchase of an anti-malaria bed net and was amazed by the response. Since then, the people of United Methodist Church partnered with Sports Illustrated, NBA Cares, the United Nations Foundation and several other groups to raise money to purchase the bed nets.

When Debbie Hennings, FUMC's Christian Education director, heard about it, she decided to join the fight.

"We were looking for mission projects for the kids to get involved in during November, when thinking about being thankful," Hennings said. "We're encouraging the kids to think about how the church works outside of its four walls. The idea is that the church does work for us. When the kids put money in the [collection] basket, they have no idea where it goes."

According to Hennings, only the older children in the congregation will be involved.

"The older kids have a concept of outside of Westborough," she said. "The littler ones can't imagine it."

Hennings also described how the campaign will be explained to the Sunday school kids.

"The first thing that will happen is the information [from Nothing But Nets] will go to the teachers along with a letter of introduction," she said. "The kids will be asked, 'What is malaria?' and 'What is Nothing But Nets?' The teachers will talk about what a net does, what malaria is."

The bed nets the students help purchase will stop mosquitoes from biting during the night, which spreads the disease, and will help control the mosquito population; the insecticide on the net kills mosquitoes when they land on it.

"We want this to be an ongoing thing," Hennings said. "They will have mosquito netting in their classrooms, and every time $10 is raised, we will send the netting to Africa."

According to Hennings, approximately 55 kids will participate and the campaign will run indefinitely.

To date, the international Nothing But Nets program has raised more than $1 million.

For more information, call Debbie Hennings at the church at 508-366-4910.