The Ice Bucket Challenge has raised over $100 million since the time it became a viral sensation at the end of July. In the span of a few weeks, the campaign to raise awareness for ALS, has surpassed anyone’s expectations, bringing attention to the debilitating disease.
If you are on social media, be it Facebook or Twitter, you have probably received a nomination for the Ice Bucket Challenge or your kids have. It’s all the rave and regular folks are taking after famous celebrities in dumping the freezing bucket of water over their heads for the worthy cause.
On Friday, the ALS Association announced that it had broken the $100 million mark in donations from those taking on the Ice Bucket Challenge. An incredible feat and nothing like ALS has ever seen.
The Ice Bucket Challenge was conceived by ALS sufferer, Pete Frates, a former baseball player from Massachusetts, who was diagnosed in 2012 and posted a video on Facebook, where he explains why he is using some friends on his behalf. Credit for the viral nature of the campaign is also given to Jeanette Senerchia of upstate New York, whose husband, Anthony Senerchia, has had the disease for over 10-years.
Senerchia triggered something on social media, after posting her own Ice Bucket Challenge for her husband. Suddenly over 1,000 people had accepted the nomination and nominated three others in return. This has certainly kept the ball rolling for the ALSA, as many are either dousing themselves (or getting doused) with the water and/or donating $100.
However, not everything has been smooth sailing and fun. Some people have gotten injured as the ice cubes hit their heads too forcefully. Additionally, some are complaining that while the Ice Bucket Challenge is a worthy cause, millions around the world lack water and dumping the critical resource is insulting to them.
In any case, the money keeps pouring into the ALSA’s coffers and they couldn’t be happier, as the incurable illness affects a relatively small number of people in the U.S. (approximately 30,000 people annually) and pharmaceutical companies don’t feel the need to invest in research for new drugs. But if you are worried of whether the money donated will be used as intended, you shouldn’t.
According to industry insiders, the ALSA is one of the most respected charities. Experts argue that the organization is one of the most transparent and fiscally responsible groups of its kind. So if you haven’t been caught in the Ice Bucket Challenge craze yet, think about joining in one of the most successful fundraising campaigns in recent memory.
[Image via Twitter ]