Origin Of The Ice Bucket Challenge
 

How and why it all started:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCoKB_tU9ng

This was informative, sad and heartwarming all at the same time.
I did not know how the ice bucket challenge started. Now I do. Thanks for starting this thread.

Not only did I have no idea how it started, but I never even heard of it. Thanks for sharing.

ice bucket challenge
 

thanks for the post......
hopefully a cure will be soon!

Great information thank you. I posted this on my FB page do that others will understand.

Last week between Little League games on ESPN when they were broadcasting Sportscenter, they aired that video about the origin. The first time I heard of the challenge was about 3 weeks ago when watching the Today Show, Greg Norman challenged Matt Lauer. From then on, the Today Show seems to have a new video just about everyday. The worse or maybe the best, was Bill Gates had no one to pour, he had a plastic bucket and he pulled a rope and a small amount of water fell on his head.

Unfortunately, people do the ice bucket challenge as a fad, a joke, a way to have their 2 minutes of fame. This is a serious subject and instead I see so many videos being humorous, with very few of them sending a message of why they are doing it nor do they know anything about Pete Frates who is the name behind the cause.

I think the Ice Bucket Challenge succeeds as a fund-raising and ALS awareness mechanism precisely BECAUSE it has an element of silliness to it. Who doesn't get a slight smile when seeing various people's initial reaction to the cold. (George Bush was great when Laura poured the water on him.)

Just reminds me that we all view life's events through different prisms. :wave:

I don't see a negative here at all. As B767 pointed out, it's the element of silliness that makes it popular.
Whether it's a fad or a joke, if it raises money for ALS, it's a wonderful initiative. I think Pete Frates would be pleased.

On a very sad note, Corey Griffin,27, co-founder of ice bucket challenge, and friend of Pete, died just hours after the fundraiser on Nantucket, August 14th. He dived off a building, rose to the surface , but had died.

It is very sad indeed to see such a vibrant young man die in a diving accident.
To date, I believe the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised almost $23 million for ALS.
Well done Corey, rest in peace.

Here's the latest update:

>>As of Aug. 22, the ALS Association has received $53.3 million in donations, compared with $2.2 million donated during the same period last year. The amount raised so far is even more than the organization's total revenue last year. In terms of the absolute money raised, the campaign has been an absolute success.
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