BIG RESPONSIBILITIES: Selkirk College's Allison Lutz (left) and Elizabeth Lund have committed themselves to raising money for thousands of anti-malarial bed nets destined for Africa.

Instructors Allison Lutz and Elizabeth Lund have catapulted Selkirk College into fifth place among all Canadian colleges and universities actively participating in the Spread the Net campaign.

The rural West Kootenay college is up against some the country’s largest post-secondary institutions, and appears to be holding its own in the Campus Challenge, a competition to benefit children in Africa.

As part of the campaign, the college or university that secures the most funding by December 31 will be recognized on national television by Rick Mercer, the satiric host of CBC television’s the Mercer Report.

Spread the Net, a two-year fundraising initiative championed by Mercer and former MP Belinda Stronach, is designed to raise money to purchase half a million insecticide-treated bed nets to help stop the spread of malaria among children in Africa.

According to Spread the Net website, one $10 bed net can protect a child sleeping under it for up to five years. The site also points out that that one child dies of malaria every 30 seconds and that the insect-borne illness kills 3,000 children a day.

“The needless loss of life among young people in Africa is staggering,” said Lund. “More than a million children under the age of five die each year. The nets are a simple, low-tech solution to a devastating problem.”

According to UNICEF, a sponsor of the campaign, bed nets can reduce malaria transmission by almost 50 per cent.

“I first heard about the Spread the Net campaign on the Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos and thought it was a great cause,” said Lutz, a geography instructor. “It’s a very tangible campaign, and it’s very clear how the money will be spent.”

As of this writing, Lutz is the country’s second leading individual fundraiser in the Campus Challenge, already surpassing the $2,000 she projected earning at the start of the competition. Lund is currently in fourth place in the country.

When asked about the competition close to home, Lund said: “I didn’t specifically ask anyone to join the fundraising campaign, but Elizabeth joined and it has been very motivating."

“People have been extremely supportive, and I am very thankful for their words of encouragement and their donations. “When you compare the size of the Selkirk College with other institutions in the Campus Challenge, you’ll notice that the people from this region are by far the most generous per capita,” Lutz said.

To learn more about the Spread the Net Campus Challenge, Selkirk College’s standing or to make a donation, visit www.spreadthenet.org and click the Campus Challenge icon.