Nashville Mosquito Squad Franchisee Gives Back in Africa

When I first met Patrick McKennon he was visiting the Mosquito Squad home office to decide if he wanted to invest in the mosquito control company in Nashville, TN. I distinctly remember his excitement when we discussed our partnership with Malaria No More, a non-profit that aims to end malaria deaths in Africa. Since joining the Mosquito Squad family he has been a proud supporter and advocate of Malaria No More.

In 2012, Patrick, with the help of his clients, raised $11,000 for Malaria No More. In 2013, he took it one step further.

Wanting to truly understand Malaria No More and their mission, Patrick traveled to Africa with his 13-year old daughter Grace last month. The two-week trip to Tanzania provided the McKennons with true understanding and perspective.

Patrick and Grace started their trip in Serengeti and Ngorongor for a three day safari. They then spent a week in Moshi where they were able to volunteer at two different orphanages. Patrick explains the kids as happy and have “so much love for so little.”

In Arusha, Patrick and Grace visited A-to-Z nets, the manufacturer of long-lasting insecticide nets. A-to-Z provides nets to Malaria No More and other organizations helping in the fight against malaria. Permethrin, the mosquito control agent, is actually part of the nets’ threads and each net lasts up to 5 years and 500,000 of them are made every day!

Patrick and Grace didn’t want to be the only ones affected by their trip and wanted to make a big impact in Tanzania. They delivered 100 bed nets to a health clinic in Morogoro through Malaria No More and installed another 20 nets to Msamaria Center for Street Kids.

If that wasn’t enough, Patrick took it one step further, sending 7 kids to school starting in January.

While Patrick has gone above and beyond in his support of Malaria No More and the general cause of stopping malaria deaths, he’s not the only one involved in the cause. Mosquito Squad locations across the country are doing their part. Our mosquito control experts have donated to Malaria No More throughout 2013. We want to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of them.

Malaria is both preventable and curable, yet it remains one of the top three killers of children worldwide. If you want to help us support the cause, please donate now at SwatMalaria.net.