John F. Ross wins second Spread the Net challenge
In a rousing second victory, local high school John F. Ross CVI was one of three schools across Canada to win the 2014-2015 Spread the Net challenge.
Rick Mercer, of the CBC’s The Rick Mercer Report, teamed up with Belinda Stronach of Plan Canada to found the challenge back in 2006. Spread the Net, aimed at fighting the spread of malaria in Africa, officially became a Plan Canada initiative in July of 2013. The challenge fundraises across Canada to raise money for the purchase and distribution of mosquito nets.
Mercer took the challenge into elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools across the country, dramatically increasing funds raised for the program. Mercer himself visits the schools that raise the most money, and a portion of an episode for The Rick Mercer Report is filmed at the winning schools.
This year, John F. Ross raised over $40,000 – more than double the amounts raised by the other two winning schools. Algonquin College raised just over $13,000, while Kew Beach Public School, in Toronto, raised almost $8,000.
John F. Ross also won the Spread the Net challenge in 2009.
Across Canada, over 100 schools participated in Spread the Net this year, raising more than $150,000 in support of Plan Canada and Mercer’s initiative. All of the money raised will be used to purchase mosquito nets and educate people around the world to prevent the spread of malaria.
“The world is making progress in fighting malaria […] and these Canadian students are part of that,” said Mercer in a news release from Plan Canada. “Their commitment and creativity in raising funds and awareness has been inspiring.”
Mercer also noted that since 2000, “deaths from [malaria] have fallen by nearly half” on a global scale.
“Canadian students are not only saving lives, they’re also increasing awareness […] of the challenges faced by children in the developing world,” concluded Roesmary McCarney, President and CEO of Plan Canada, in the same news release. “We thank all the students and school staff that participated for their tremendous efforts.”
-Compiled by Alyssa Ottema