This year, 214 million people have died from malaria; that’s millions of possible doctors, entrepreneurs, and leaders, lost to the world.
Malaria, a disease spread through bites from infected female mosquitoes, is unique in that it is one hundred percent preventable, which is what drives people to work towards its demise. One ambitious, kind person with a hate for this destructive disease is WS senior Kevin Strickland. Through his work with Nothing but Nets (NBN), he has saved lives from the perils of malaria.
Nothing but Nets is a UN campaign with a goal of preventing and eventually eradicating malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has several partnerships, including the World Health Organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and NBA Cares, an initiative of the National Basketball Association to give back; all that aid in the collection and distribution of nets. These insecticide-sprayed nets, when draped atop a bed, protect people from the deadly disease.
Five years ago in his civics classroom, Strickland was assigned the year-long Service Learning project. A few nights later he was watching videos on Hulu when an intriguing commercial popped up for NBN.
“When I first heard of [NBN], it seemed very interesting. Then something inside went like that, snap, that made me think of the project and what I could do to contribute,” said Strickland.
In his youth, Strickland struggled with reading; in order to help him overcome this difficulty, his mom, Joanne Strickland, gave him recipes to read and replicate. At first, he mainly baked seasonal cupcakes and cookies, his favorites, for family and friends, but soon this activity turned into a passion, which he has carried with him throughout his life; therefore, it was only natural that this love was applied to support another thing he would devote himself to, eliminating malaria.
“At my first bake sale, outside of Huntsman Giant on a Saturday morning, I raised $670,” said Strickland.
Since 2011, he has done about 15 bake sales and amassed $16,100. The preparation process for each sale starts a month beforehand, when he bakes all the cupcakes; then, they are frozen until the day before the sale, when Strickland lets the cupcakes thaw and frosts them. Strickland spends the next day selling, attending to various customers that desire his addictive desserts.
“One donor who came to my first sale told me, ‘If you look at today, you see kids lying at home, playing games and being selfish. If you look here, you have a kid on a Saturday morning raising money for people he doesn’t know. You have renewed my hope in your generation,’ and donated a lot of money,” said Strickland.
Strickland was first recognized for his work at the beginning of his junior year, when he received a call from a NBN representative, now his campaign manager, saying that he had been selected as one of the first 150 International World Champions for NBN, which was a huge honor because a mere 15 percent of the Champions are under age 30.
“I was amazed that so many people felt the same way,” said Strickland.
Strickland’s NBN Champions induction took place at the Champions Council Convention, conveniently held in Washington, DC. Day one included meeting his fellow champions and hearing about their contributions to NBN, including Stephen Curry, NBA MVP and starting point guard for the Warriors, who won last season’s playoffs.
“The second day, we talked to Congress about NBN and our goals. In all honesty, malaria is not that hard to prevent [with the right tools],” said an adamant Strickland.
Another milestone was World Malaria Day in April of this year. For that sale, an anonymous donor promised to triple his sales–Strickland ended up raising $2,700, meaning 270 families received a net. Also on that day was an event at the White House attended by its residents, leaders of NBN, and Curry.
“While I wasn’t there, President Obama commented, ‘So where’s that kid that makes the cupcakes? I’m still shocked that a 15 year old boy can raise that much money through cupcakes,’” said Strickland.
Strickland’s initial goal was to raise $1000, which soon increased tenfold and then doubled to extend to his current goal of $20,000 by the end of his senior year at WS. His next sale is December 12th, and between those preparations, spending time volunteering at the Smithsonian’s Discovery room, and watching Cupcake Wars, Strickland has his capable hands full.
“I think I’ve broken the scale on how many hours I’ve spent working on this,” said Strickland. “But because it’s something I feel is important, I’m not going to stop until malaria is done.”
While he has been recognized by Curry, a fan of young people who think outside of their own world, with signed a jersey, photograph, and correspondence; met Mark Green, former ambassador to Tanzania; and was a top 15 finalist (out of over 100,000) for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s “#givingtuesday” award; Strickland remains humble with a simple desire to bake.
Strickland’s work with NBN won’t end when he reaches his next goal. Next fall, he will attend Marymount University to study biology in hopes of one day finding a cure for malaria, and until then will do his part to prevent its spread.
“I plan to have my own cupcake truck in Washington, D.C. called ‘Nothing but Treats,’ and donate around 20 percent of proceeds to NBN,” said Strickland. “This is my lifetime passion.”