Unless you’re living under a rock, chances are you’ve heard of Ice Bucket Challenge. The general premise is a benevolent domino initiative: you take the challenge- recording yourself dumping a bucket of ice water on your head- and post the video on social media, tagging three of your friends. Those three friends take the challenge, then challenge three more of their friends, and before you know it, your Facebook & Instagram feed is filled with people drenching themselves in water. Those who decline the challenge are asked, in exchange, to donate to the ALS Association (although many people do the challenge & also donate).
Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and I’m sure I’m not the only one. With only 30,000 Americans being affected by ALS, it’s not been given much attention till recently. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body due to the degeneration of the upper and lower motor neurons. Individuals affected by the disorder may ultimately lose the ability to initiate and control all voluntary movement (Source). Life expectancy for those with ALS is typically 2-5 years from the time of diagnosis.
There seems to be plenty of controversy surrounding the Ice Bucket Challenge. . While it’s said to have been a game changer for the ALS association, many refuse to participate with the argument that it’s a waste of a commodity that’s both scarce & precious: fresh water. Additionally it misuses electricity in the form of ice. With so many differing opinions, I wanted to share my take on the Ice Bucket Challenge. And of course I would love you guys to weigh in too.
As someone who has done the Ice Bucket Challenge. and also donated, I think it’s a fantastic initiative. Although there are droughts happening across the world, I wouldn’t say water has gone to waste…at least where ALS is concerned:
- Increased funding: Since July 29th, the ALS association has raised $42 million compared with 2.1 million during the same period last year. The fundraising association also has nearly 740,000 new donors (Source).
- Increased awareness: If people don’t know about a disease, there’s no way they can help contribute towards the solution. With this challenge gone viral, more people are now taking the necessary steps to make a difference.
- With enough funding, more resources can be gathered towards finding a cure. It might not be as common as diabetes or heart disease, but ALS is as crippling an illness- that alone is enough reason for research and drug development to be carried out.
- Improved morale for those suffering with ALS: no illness should make you feel like you aren’t worthy to live. Sadly that’s the message the government sends out by not allocating funds towards ALS treatment.
When a friend of mine posted herself carrying out the challenge, she proclaimed that she would also be taking 3 cold showers afterwards to conserve electricity. I thought that was a great idea to spur on more eco-friendly practices, such as replacing faucet water with toilet water as Matt Damon did (article is here). The Ice Bucket Challenge is more than putting up a video on social media & it needs to go back to the root cause: finding a cure for ALS. It might not be the best approach, but there’s no denying that it has been effective. And I am sure we all can agree that a small donation goes a long way- whether it’s 5 bucks or 50, it’s enough to help improve the quality of another human being’s life
What is your opinion on the Ice Bucket Challenge?
I love how such a random act could be used to raise awareness- if at the end of the day, it helps raise much needed funds- it’s a bonus in my book!
You said it!
I didn’t take the ICe Bucket Challenge, simply cause I was too lazy and cause I didn’t have time – so lame, I know. Though I donated quite a bit and I think that is in the end what counts – to spread awareness and to help. Everything that happens on the Internet digs out criticism – I think, as long as no one gets hurt, all is ok.
o true about the Internet- no matter what you do, somebody is going to find something to complain about!
I’m all for the ice bucket challenge, but I love Matt Damon’s take on it! Definitely smart. In the end, it’s raised so much money for an important cause, so who can argue with that?
Matt’s not just a pretty face 😉 !
I think wether you took the challenge or not if you are now aware of what ALS is and donated I think that’s what is important.
I completely agree 🙂
Such a success for ALS! Whoever was behind the idea was really clever! Lets hope all the additional funding really makes a difference.
I agree! Such great initiative that’s really been profitable :)!
Great post! I agree that – if nothing else- this ice bucket challenge phenomenon has been great in not only raising millions of dollars and awareness for ALS, but also opening the dialogue for other issues such as water conservation (Matt Damon did his with TOILET WATER to make his point) and also animal treatment- Pamela Anderson refused to do it because ALS tests treatments on animals. Whatever one’s views may be, i think its awesome people are talking!
I had no idea about Pamela Anderson but just Googled more about her stance. As great as I think this challenge is, I respect her stance 100%- very valid reasoning!
From a consumer prospective, I think it’s stupid. I’d never dump cold water on my head, but watching the “fail” videos is hilarious. Despite seeming like a scrooge, I do donate to various charities based on my life experience and community involvement.
From a marketing perspective, I think it’s brilliant. I wish I’d thought of it. It’s also a good cause, of course. I’m glad people are actually donating money – I saw an interesting infographic correlating improved survival rates with donations (breast cancer being another great example).
I don’t think you sound like a scrooge at all. As amazing as it would be to be able to donate to every charity, you’d likely be bankrupt by the end of it..you gotta pick what’s more important to you. I saw that infographic- more money clearly needs to be allocated towards heart disease!
This challenge brought awareness all across the world. I’d say that’s a win.
Amen!
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I thought it was a huge success for the charity. Money aside, which was a huge leap up, it raised an incredible amount of awareness, and I loved how it spread across the globe.
Same here! Hopefully it’s just the start of the “underdog” illnesses becoming more recognised!