Caught up in the cause

Victoria Jones, Hilary Taylor and Keith Torrie are leading the charge for Spread the Net. (Nick Pearce Photo)

It’s a cause that’s easy to get caught up in.

For Hilary Taylor, her entanglement was enticed by her two favourite CBC personalities: George Stroumboulopoulos and Rick Mercer.

“I was watching The Hour and George was interviewing Rick Mercer about Spread the Net,” says Ms. Taylor, a fourth-year commerce student. “I phoned my friend Victoria right away because I knew that we had to do this here at Dalhousie.”

Victoria Jones, a fourth-year history and Canadian studies major, was Ms. Taylor’s housemate in Howe Hall when they first arrived at Dalhousie. Recruiting another former housemate to the cause, poli-sci student Keith Torrie, the three became co-captains of the Dalhousie 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’s 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. “It’s a simple solution to a big problem,” as Ms. Taylor points out.

The charity, co-chaired by Mr. Mercer and MP Belinda Stronach, has launched the “Spread the Net Campus Challenge,” pitting Canada’s universities against one another in a good-natured competition to raise the most money for the cause. What’s the prize if Dalhousie emerges at the top? A campus visit from Rick Mercer that will be featured on CBC’s The Rick Mercer Report.

SEE VIDEO: Spread the Net on youtube

Ms. Jones says that it would be a great opportunity to show the country what Dalhousie students, faculty and staff are made of: “We’re really interested in helping to create community and pride within our own school. We have a great school, and it’s good to get involved with something bigger than ourselves and to make new friends in the process.”

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 Dalhousie 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 Dalhousie chapter has raised enough money to purchase over 100 nets. While the co-captains know that they have an uphill battle ahead – the winning school will be the one with the most total funds raised, regardless of its size – they’re confident that Dalhousie can pull through and make a strong showing.

“When you’re given a solution that’s as simple as this to a massive problem, there’s no reason we can’t tackle it with full force,” says Ms. Taylor. “It’s really rewarding.”

If you wish to support the Dalhousie effort, you can donate online through the Spread the Net website or join their Facebook group for more information. The campus challenge ends on December 31.