News

By Tania E. Lopez

When Zachary McAdoo, a fourth-grader at Whiteside Elementary School, heard 200 million children in Africa are at risk for measles, he wanted to do something about it.

So, Zachary asked permission from his school to seek donations for the American Red Cross Measles Initiative and raised $1,110 in two weeks. A measles vaccination costs less than $1.

“It broke my heart when I saw the (Red Cross) video and that we can save millions of children with just $1,” Zachary said. “Some parents there don’t even name their children until they know that their child won’t die of measles.”

Zachary involved Whiteside students by going around to 20 Kindergarten through fourth-grade classrooms and presenting a four-minute clip of the Red Cross video on measles.

According to the American Red Cross, measles is the single leading cause of death among African children, and has taken more young lives than HIV, tuberculosis and malnutrition. About 12 million children are infected with measles every year.

First-grader Rachel Cheatham contributed her entire $50 savings to the cause.

“I really wanted to help them because I just feel bad,” Rachel said. “They are not like us; they have broken legs and stuff (because of the disease).”

Zachary’s mother, September McAdoo, 50, has volunteered with the American Red Cross since she attended high school. McAdoo said most of the money raised came in coins.

“The children did this with nickels and dimes and pennies,” McAdoo said. “I had to carry the box with a wheelchair. We just never expected such a response, and I guess the children were really touched.”

McAdoo said they plan on continuing the program and expanding it to other school districts.

The American Red Cross Measles Initiative was launched in December 2001. The campaign is an international partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Foundation, and the World Health Organization. The goal is to vaccinate 220 million children in Africa by 2005.

For more information on the American Red Cross Measles Initiative, call 314.516.2737, or log on to www.redcrossstl.org.

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