My friend Gina challenged me last week, on a typically frantic day.
At the time, I had no idea what the ice bucket challenge was. I just knew I didn’t have time to dump a bucket of ice water over my head.
Still, as they all tend to, this challenge nagged at me.
I admire my friend, so I took some time to look into her challenge.
Turns out, it’s been the greatest type of fundraiser, both effective and free. At last count, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised $23 million for the ALS Association.
Because we live in an age where viral and valuable can be mutually exclusive, I took a peek at the ALS Association and I liked what I saw.
Only 11% of the money raised through donations goes to administrative costs, and a reasonable 16.5% to fundraising expenses. At least 72.4% of all donations raised go directly to program expenses.
We’ve seen the vicious effects of ALS, watched it whither and eventually kill our vibrant and beautiful friend Olive Jordan. That’s the sad fate the ALS Association is working to change.
The Ice Bucket Challenge has been a godsend for the ALS Association, and for the research victims of this incurable disease so desperately seek.
In the days (sorry, it was days not 24 hours) in between the issue of the challenge and my acceptance, we became very inspired by the Ice Bucket Challenge.
When my oldest son accepted the ice bucket challenge, and invited his three siblings to join him, Molly and I knew we had to step up.
Sunday afternoon we both took the challenge, dump the icy water, posted the video, made the donation.
If you haven’t done it yet, we encourage you take the ice bucket challenge as well, you don’t even have to get wet to do it. Just pop on over to this website and join the fun.
It’s small gesture to make for people who, as Lou Gehrig said, have been given a bad break but have got an awful lot to live for.
Here’s my video:
And here’s Molly’s:
I’m with you… Research for this disease has been in the shadow of cancer research. http://lottasports.com/2014/08/19/lotta-commits-icebucketchallenge/
What is that last video? I didn’t click on it as it looked different from the rest….. like a hacker??
It’s an ad. Not spam but not something we posted either.
Thank you and your family for your contribution to this event…and thank you for remembering my very special Aunt Olive. She was such a wonderful person and battled this horrible
disease with grace. Thanks again,
Sandye Jordan Frost
You are more than welcome. Olive really was a remarkable woman and a sad but perfect example of how devastating this disease really is.