[00:00:00] Malaria is the deadliest disease in human history. Today, half the world's population remains at risk. But there is good news. It is preventable and can be eradicated within our lifetimes. You can be part of the generation to beat malaria for good. Over the past 20 years, the world has made incredible progress, cutting the malaria death rate by half and saving more than 10 million lives.

[00:00:32] The UN Foundation's United to Beat Malaria campaign, formerly known as Nothing But Nets, is proud to be part of this global effort. Since 2006, we've helped protect more than 40 million people from malaria in more than 50 countries, and our champions have successfully advocated to their members of Congress for increased investment in life-saving malaria programs.

[00:00:58] But this collective [00:01:00] progress is at risk. Although many countries are close to wiping out the disease, progress has stalled in sub-Saharan Africa, where the malaria burden is greatest. The COVID-19 pandemic has created even more disparities and threatens to leave those most vulnerable even further behind.

[00:01:18] Today, a child dies of malaria nearly every minute. Malaria also disproportionately impacts pregnant women and communities most affected by poverty, displacement, and climate change. This is a historic injustice, but it does not have to be this way. Can we be the generation to beat malaria for good? It won't be easy.

[00:01:45] It will take more innovation, political will, resources, and partnership across sectors. We all have a role to play. Anyone can be part of this global movement. To be the [00:02:00] generation that beats malaria for good, we need you. Make your voice heard. Raise awareness and raise funds. Advocate to elected officials.

[00:02:14] Activate friends, family, and colleagues. Working together, we can achieve a malaria-free world. Will you join us? We are United to Beat Malaria

‍

‍

[00:00:00] The Inspire Games is something that we organized. A, a small group of us within the insurance industry got together. We thought about how to organize some type of hockey event which raised money and, and gave back, um, to our communities, and, uh, specifically we wanted to identify a military foundation. So Dan reached out to me and said, "Hey, you know, they're looking to raise some money.

[00:00:46] They're thinking about potentially some veteran organizations, and I threw your name in the ring for that. Uh, what do you think?" And I said, "Well, one of our Marines who we are working with, he's a double amputee above the knee, uh, he is looking to play sled hockey for the [00:01:00] US Olympic team. How about we try to raise money for him and his training to achieve his dream of making that Olympic team?"

[00:01:05] I was injured in Afghanistan in 2012 in a IED explosion. I'm a bomb tech by trade and, you know, it was just a bad day at the office. After getting to Walter Reed and going through my rehab, I went through this stint of like a year of like thinking to myself, "What now?" I wanted to be a hockey player. I watched, uh, the Paralympic Games in 2014 on the TV.

[00:01:26] I had been told that I was too old to play, and, uh, I was like, "No. You know what? This is what I wanna do." Once I heard Ralph's story, there was no doubt that 4Block and their cause was without a doubt, uh, something that we wanted to support. Ralph De Quebec, uh, stood in front of everyone and he said, "Listen.

[00:01:43] I'm gonna make this Olympic team and I'm gonna bring home a gold medal." I think we raised $30,000, $35,000, and I'm not sure anyone really believed him, but, uh, he came back with two gold medals, uh, nine years later. The resources that are raised during the Inspire Games can help [00:02:00] veterans transition from, you know, the, the military life to the civilian life, and that's so important because when military life ends, that doesn't mean your life ends.

[00:02:09] You have to continue on, right? Most veterans have the tools to succeed. It's just when they transition out of the military, they kinda lose that sense of purpose and that sense of where they're at. Just some of the basic bare minimum needs that veterans need whenever they're coming out of their active service are very important, and I think that, uh, 4Block is, is, is doing a very outstanding job at making sure that all those components, you know, line up together to benefit the actual individual and the veteran.

[00:02:37] I just love the cause, and it's unique to have a game surrounded by it. And it, it's really incredible what, what Mike and Marsh and the whole insurance industry has done. The biggest names in the insurance industry, uh, are here today and, and that's what also makes this special is that we're competitors in the markets that we participate in, but when it comes to causes like 4Block, the Inspire Games, we can rally and go after, you know, one goal [00:03:00] together to support veterans transitioning.

[00:03:01] Over the 10-year period, we're north of a million dollars raised for 4Block. It makes me so proud as an insurance professional that our industry can give back to such a great cause. It touches your heart. You know, it makes you thankful just to be able to be here and help everybody. The bigger this gets, the more people that attend, the word will get out there, and it's gonna help veterans transition better, and it's gonna bring in more support.

‍

[00:00:00] Thank you so much for taking your time today, for sharing your stories. I heard what I would've, you know, said was an aluminum table collapsing, and then I heard some screaming. The shooter hunted the children. The teachers very quickly grabbed children and just said, "Get back. Get back." This heat of explosion hit my face, the most searing pain I've ever experienced.

[00:00:35] There's glass breaking everywhere. There's papers flying. It's a war zone. And I realize, like, I've been shot in the face. I was hospitalized for two months afterwards. Oh my God. I'll deal with lead poisoning for the rest of my life. I had to learn how to walk again.

[00:00:55] When another mass shooting happens, our wound [00:01:00] opens up again. I'm scared when I go out. Still, I'm scared it could happen to me again. Nowhere is safe. It could happen to anyone. Going to a child's funeral after something like that is something nobody should have to do.

[00:01:19] No one else understands what you're going through except for the people who have gone through something like this. That's why I show up around the country just to let them know that I wish you wasn't here, but you're not alone. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Speaking, being able to share my story Connecting Connecting is part of the healing.

[00:01:40] Everyone wants to be supportive, wants to be empathetic, and they are, and that does give me hope Kind of have this feeling of mine wasn't as bad as some of these other stories I'm hearing. Just the fact that I have to sit there and compare is just so telling about how many people have [00:02:00] stories. You have a right to grieve.

[00:02:01] You have a right to ask for help I just let them know I'm there. I'm calling and checking on them. Are you getting out the house? It's building trust and letting you know that I know this organization, like if you wanna get in support groups Wonderful people that I would not have known, opportunities that I would not have had to speak out and to get involved, so I'm thankful for that.

[00:02:23] We are bringing good out of what was evil

‍

[00:00:00] Acting is my passion, but activism is my purpose. When I reached a level of success with High School Musical, where, you know, we'd flown on a private plane, and saw myself on the cover of magazines, and were on billboards, when I had all of those experiences and still felt like I was missing something, that was a real light bulb to me that maybe it wasn't enough.

[00:00:29] I wanted to dedicate my life to moving other people. I feel like stories are the best place to really touch the heart, open the heart, make people laugh, entertain them, and it's an entry point to action. The best way to use your social media for activism is to be authentic, to tell your truth, and to personalize.

[00:00:54] My first tip would be to just start. We can be so precious about [00:01:00] our feeds and wanting it to be perfect, but in that process, you sometimes don't end up doing anything. The second thing is to fact-check. Slow your roll before you post and take your time to really craft what it is that you're wanting to say, and check yourself as to why you're wanting to say it.

[00:01:20] Do you wanna join the chorus because you want attention? What is your reason for posting? I try to take the approach of, do what I like, post what makes me feel good, post what I need to hear, because it's likely that if I need to hear it, there's someone else who also needs to hear it. You really have to develop a thick skin.

[00:01:38] You don't always know where the people on the other side are coming from with their comments, and not take those things personally, and to continue to press on despite that. To make a difference, you can't just follow the crowd. You actually have to be willing to post the unpopular point of view, to take a different stance, and that is a very unique [00:02:00] obstacle that I think we're struggling with right now in social media.

[00:02:03] It's important for girls and women to be represented because we matter. Our stories matter, and when we see each other, we can see ourselves.

‍