Dodging Malaria: Young adults play to raise life-saving funds
By Erik Alsgaard
UMConnection Staff
The Baltimore-Washington Conference continues to raise money to fight the killer disease of malaria. The Conference is committed to raising $2.1 million for Imagine No Malaria as it joins Annual Conferences from around the world towards the The United Methodist Church’s goal to raise $75 million for the effort by 2015.
Pittsburgh Area Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton told the Council of Bishops in November that the Imagine No Malaria campaign is nearing $60 million in its goal to eradicate the disease in Africa.
“It is all good news,” said Bickerton, who leads the Western Pennsylvania Annual (regional) Conference.
“We have the end of this campaign in our sights and we believe we have the roadmap to get us there,” said Bickerton.
“The vast majority of the money we have raised has come from the people of The United Methodist Church who sit in our pews every Sunday,” he said. “We are ready to eclipse the $60 million mark because of the grassroots efforts.”
In late November, a group of energetic young adults got out of their pews and did their part to raise money by playing three-dimensional dodge ball. On trampolines.
“We’re here to support the cause and have fun,” said Carrie Larsen, a member of Bethany UMC in Ellicott City. She and four others came from the church dressed in matching t-shirts, face-paint and headbands, to form the “Bethany Ballers,” whose goal it was, she said, to “intimidate” the opposition.
“Any chance to put on face-paint and have fun, you take it,” said Amor Woolsey, also from Bethany.
Kelli Hood, from Covenant UMC in Montgomery Village, was there to support the cause.
“This is a fun way to raise money for Imagine No Malaria,” she said. She had never before played dodge ball on a trampoline, but after receiving an e-mail from her pastor, she thought she’d give it a try.
The same was true for Chad Seller, a member of Glen Mar UMC in Ellicott City. He thought the event sounded like fun, and was a great way to raise money for a good cause.
The Rev. Martin Brooks, associate pastor at Bethany, was part of his church’s team.
“I’m dizzy,” he said after the first two games (which the “Ballers” lost). “I’m not used to jumping on a trampoline.”
Cheryl Cook, the Baltimore-Washington Conference young adult staff person, came up with the idea along with Larsen. The event was held at the Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park in Columbia.
Each person on a team took their position on a rectangular trampoline. The rules of dodge ball, two-dimensional, apply, except with trampolines underfoot and to the sides, jumping and bouncing made dodging the balls all that much more fun.
“If one of us could throw, we’d be doing okay,” said Carley Vitek from Bethany. “We dodge pretty well.”
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