Chicago, IL - Nothing But Nets, a grassroots campaign to prevent malaria by providing insecticide-treated bed nets, announced today that Major League Soccer's MLS W.O.R.K.S. has joined the fight against malaria. The organizations will work together to encourage soccer fans in the United States to send more nets and save more lives in Africa. Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber and Elizabeth McKee, Director of Nothing But Nets, will launch the partnership on center field during the Chicago Fire game at Toyota Park on July 1, 2007 at 6:00 p.m. CDT.
"MLS W.O.R.K.S. is proud to partner with Nothing But Nets - an organization committed to eliminating malaria in Africa," said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. "We are excited to work with our teams to engage our fans in helping make a difference by sending nets and saving lives."
This is the first of a series of in-stadium events which will include pre-game and half-time presentations, auctions, and contests. During these events this summer, MLS W.O.R.K.S. will also be promoting its Nothing But Nets Sweepstakes which offers supporters of Nothing But Nets the chance to win a trip for two to MLS Cup 2007 in Washington, D.C. on November 18, 2007. The sweepstakes was first announced in April 2007, with thousands of people having already entered.
"We are pleased to partner with MLS W.O.R.K.S., as one of its original partners in the first league-wide community outreach initiative," said Kathy Bushkin, Executive Vice President of the United Nations Foundation, a founding partner of Nothing But Nets. "We have already seen remarkable support from Diego Gutierrez and the Chicago Fire and we look forward to working with all of the MLS teams to raise awareness about life-saving nets."
In addition to the sweepstakes, MLS W.O.R.K.S. will feature a Nothing But Nets Public Service Announcement (PSA) created by Diego Gutierrez and the Chicago Fire at stadiums across the country. Gutierrez recruited fellow players Andy Herron from the Columbus Crew, Alecko Eskandarian from Real Salt Lake and Nick Garcia from the Kansas City Wizards to highlight the need for bed nets to soccer fans world-wide. As Diego says, "some nets matter when you score a goal...and some nets matter to save lives." For more information about the sweepstakes and to view the PSA, visit www.NothingButNets.net.
About Nothing But Nets:
Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Inspired by Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly, thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation. Founding campaign partners include the National Basketball Association's NBA Cares, the people of The United Methodist Church, and Sports Illustrated. Other partners include VH1, The Mark J. Gordon Foundation, AOL Black Voices, Major League Soccer's MLS W.O.R.K.S., the Wasserman Foundation, The Women's National Basketball Association's WNBA Cares, and Rotarians' Action Group on Malaria. It only costs $10 to provide an insecticide-treated bed net that can prevent this deadly disease. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation matches donations dollar for dollar. Visit www.NothingButNets.net to send a net and save a life.
About MLS W.O.R.K.S.:
MLS W.O.R.K.S. was launched April 2, 2007 and is Major League Soccer's first league-wide community outreach initiative dedicated to addressing important social issues affecting young people. MLS W.O.R.K.S. serves as a platform for both league and team philanthropic programs. Specific areas of focus include health and wellness, education, respect, fair play, leadership, human rights and diversity with an emphasis on programs and initiatives directed at school-aged children. To learn more about MLS W.O.R.K.S, visit www.MLSnet.com/works.
