Camp Broadway Announces Partnership with United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets Campaign

Today, Camp Broadway announced a strategic alliance with the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign to encourage performing arts-loving kids to take action and raise awareness about the global fight against malaria. The year-round partnership connects arts and advocacy by showcasing youthful creativity, delivering classroom curriculum, and offering immersive summer camp programming.

Nothing But Nets is the largest global, grassroots campaign to fight malaria, a disease that kills a child in Africa every 60 seconds. Malaria, a disease caused by a single mosquito bite, is preventable. Since 2006, Nothing But Nets has raised more than $50 million, and together with its UN partners, has delivered 7.25 million insecticide-treated bed nets to protect families in sub-Saharan Africa from malaria.

The alliance begins with the Camp Broadway Challenge, a national arts-in-action initiative that invites multi-talented youth, ages 10-17, to create an original work of art themed around Nothing But Nets’ mission to “Send a Net. Save a Life.” Kids are asked to create, produce and share a video featuring their original song, dance, music composition or prop by posting it in the Camp Broadway Challenge showcase at www.NothingButNetsChallenge.net. Two youth artists whose videos receive the most votes will be announced on World Malaria Day – Friday, April 25 – and will be awarded a trip to New York City to attend The Lion King and Camp Broadway’s coveted annual summer session, July 14-18, 2014.

“Hundreds of thousands of people across the country have taken on the challenge to stop the spread of malaria,” says Chris Helfrich, Director of Nothing But Nets. “Kids are our most proactive supporters because they understand it only takes $10 provide a life-saving bed net that will protect a child and their family from malaria. We’ve had great success with youth sports programs and we’re excited to get theater-loving kids involved in the campaign through our new partnership with Camp Broadway.”

To help kids understand the global health issue, expand their knowledge about Nothing But Nets and inspire creativity, Camp Broadway is providing an online educational toolkit that enables kids to follow the Bed Net Journey from the $10 donation to its delivery to a family in Africa. The story is augmented with maps, graphs, videos, African artwork and other resources. To enable teachers to integrate the program into their classroom, Common Core-aligned lessons and activities can be found at www.NothingButNetsChallenge.net.

“Nothing is more dramatic than the life or death battle to stop the spread of malaria around the world,” says Melissa Caolo, Managing Director of Camp Broadway. “Children today are effective advocates for social good and have creative ideas for expressing their support and showing their commitment to the causes that are important to them. Camp Broadway is proud to help the UN Foundation Nothing But Nets get young artists involved in this life-saving campaign.”

Since 1995, Camp Broadway has encouraged kids to develop their “character” and learn about other people’s lives and cultures through its Broadway inspired camps, workshops and experiential programs. To further elevate Nothing But Nets, Camp Broadway’s 2014 summer programs will feature songs and scenes from four Broadway musicals: Elton John and Tim Rice’s Aida, Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids, as well as Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s Once on This Island and Seussical, transporting theater-loving kids to other parts of the globe.

“We believe that theater kids will be great performers in the effort to promote good health and the greater social good,” says Caolo. “All the world’s a stage…and they have an important role to play in it.”

For more information on the artist showcase, lessons and activities, or summer programs, visit www.NothingButNetsChallenge.net.

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Media Contact for Nothing But Nets:

Rachel Henderson

(202) 739-2782

[email protected]

Media Contact for Camp Broadway:

Dan Dutcher

(917)566-8413

[email protected]

About Nothing But Nets

Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation in 2006. Since then, Nothing But Nets has raised more than $50 million to deliver 7.25 million bed nets to families in need. Campaign partners include the National Basketball Association’s NBA Cares, The people of The United Methodist Church, and Major League Soccer’s MLS WORKS It only costs $10 to provide an insecticide-treated bed net that can prevent this deadly disease. Visit www.NothingButNets.net to send a net and save a life.

About the United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by philanthropic, corporate, government, and individual donors. Learn more at: www.unfoundation.org.

About Camp Broadway

CAMP BROADWAY® LLC is a Broadway industry leader in presenting theatre arts camps, workshops and special events including regular featured appearances at Carnegie Hall and in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®. Since 1995, the company has hosted over 30,000 children from around the world at its camps and enabled over 300,000 students to attend a Broadway show as part of an education-focused Broadway experience. The company has collaborated with dozens of theatrical productions on youth outreach including 1776, 42nd Street, Annie, Hairspray, In The Heights, The Addams Family, Hairspray, Nice Work if You Can Get It, Peter and the Starcatcher, Titanic, Wicked and many others. Camp Broadway has served many corporate clients by creating and managing a wide variety of education-based and experiential programs including “The Pride Rock Project” for Disney Theatrical Productions, “Stages for Learning” for Dodger Theatrical Productions, “On With the Show” for Bravo Television Network, “Adventure Ocean” for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, “Accentuate The Positive” for The Johnny Mercer Foundation, and “Future Stages” for Fidelity. Currently, the company serves as the general management for the National High School Musical Theater Awards (aka the Jimmy Awards, named after James M. Nederlander). Camp Broadway, now recognized as Broadway’s “Original” Summer Camp, is loved by kids, trusted by parents, respected by educators for quality of its year-round enrichment programs and event for which the company is the recipient of the Ovation Award for Excellence from the Educational Theatre Association.