The Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church has raised $950,000 of its $1 million goal for the Imagine No Malaria campaign -- almost a year ahead of its May 2015 deadline.

Imagine No Malaria is an effort of the people of the United Methodist Church, putting their faith into action to end preventable deaths by malaria in Africa, especially the death of a child or a mother, according to the Imagine No Malaria website, imaginenomalaria.org.

Martha Taylor, director of communications for the Arkansas Conference of the United Methodist Church, said the organization started the campaign in June 2012 as a three-year initiative to raise $1 million. The conference received a matching challenge grant for $333,333 from the United Methodist Foundation of Arkansas. It has been up to the United Methodist churches in Arkansas and individual donors to raise the rest of the goal, she said. More than half of the 680 United Methodist churches in Arkansas have helped in fundraising and raising awareness, she said.

All of the funds raised go directly to the people of Sub-Saharan Africa, Taylor said. The initiative includes the prevention of malaria through the distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets, treatment for those who have contracted malaria, education by community health workers and communication about the disease through short-wave radio and text messaging, she said.

To celebrate raising this amount, the event Celebrate Striking Out Malaria with the Naturals will be held in conjunction with the annual conference in Rogers. UMC Night at the Naturals is 6:05 p.m. June 21 at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, when the Northwest Arkansas Naturals play the Tulsa Drillers. To buy group tickets, download the ticket purchase form at arumc.org/ac2014. Tickets also are available as part of the annual conference registration. In addition to the $5 tickets available through the Arkansas Conference, perks for the evening include free parking and free wristbands that give children access to the kids' area.