ELCA Malaria
Campaign
 In Africa, a child dies every 45 seconds from malaria. But you can make a difference, today!
WE’RE JOINING THE YOUTH – TO BRING CHANGE!
The Rocky Mountain Synod has pledged to raise $200,000 for the ELCA Malaria Campaign by 2015.
To date the Rocky Mountain Synod has raised $212,000! (Updated 4-15-2013)
It all started with the youth.
In 2009, the Lutheran Youth Organization decided to tackle malaria by encouraging youth across the synod to raise money for the Lutheran Malaria Campaign. For the LYO, the biggest challenge was getting people to care about something so far away that most people have no personal connection with. To overcome this, the LYO invented a fun, interactive way of bringing the issue to kids across the synod- “Malaria Dodge Ball.” They played this game with participants at both the Jr. and Sr. high gathering in large group and in workshops. At these gatherings they distributed pledge cards for individuals and congregations, asking each participant at the Sr. High gathering to raise $100 by Synod Assembly, and those at the Jr. High gathering to raise $25 by the same date. They weren’t just raising money, they were saving lives.
Well, it turns out the LYO didn’t need to worry because the youth passionately began to pledge themselves to the containment of malaria. Stories began rolling in from around the synod of what individuals and their congregations had done to help in this effort. The youth’s hearts were on fire, and within one year they were able to raise 50,000 dollars!!
That same year, at the 2010 Synod Assembly, the Lutheran Youth Organization decided to take the challenge to a new level by challenging the entire Rocky Mountain Synod to become a pilot synod for the Lutheran Malaria Campaign. The assembly unanimously accepted the challenge, and RMS Malaria Task Force was formed. The task force agreed that when continuing on the best thing to do would be honor what the youth had already done and adopt their three year plan for malaria work for the entire synod. The three year plan is as follows:
Year 1: Fundraising
Year 2: Education/Awareness
Year 3: Putting a Face on Malaria
Following the lead of the youth, we are now going to join them in the journey to contain malaria! And in the words of the youth:
We are the change!
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