Ice Bucket Challenge.
There has been a lot of eye rolling when it comes to the Ice Bucket Challenge, and I think a lot of that has to do with people being heartless uninformed. While I'm not even close to an expert on the subject, I'm hoping to shed some light on a few of the questions people have been asking.
Like most people that have taken the Ice Bucket Challenge, I had no idea what ALS was before this challenge. While I had heard of Lou Gehrig's Disease, I didn't know what it was or anything about it. According to the ALS website, it's a neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. There's no cure, and having the disease eventually leads to paralysis and later, death. Because it's currently incurable, it's so important for us to come together and raise awareness of this disease. The more people able to donate to the cause, the closer we are to fighting the disease.
Why the ice bucket? The sensation a person feels when a bucket of ice water is poured on their head is comparable to how a person with the disease feels. While we feel just a moment of loss of control, the people who have the disease feel that times a thousand, and it's only downhill from there.
Thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge, donations have already surpassed $15 million just this year, which is gargantuan compared to the $1.8 million donated at this same time last year. So for those of you who don't understand why this challenge has gone viral, it's for that very reason! We are raising awareness and fighting to find a cure. I think it's so beautiful that so many celebrities like Taylor Swift, Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Kerry Washington, Chris Pratt and Jimmy Fallon and influencers like Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates have taken the challenge and donated to this awesome cause!
The challenge says to either pour a bucket of ice water on your head and donate $10 or don't pour a bucket of ice water on your head and donate $100 to the cause. I opted to pour ice water on my head and donate, and you should too, even if you weren't officially nominated. I know there has been some speculation about the drought in California as well, and while there isn't a drought going on in Louisiana, I can still understand why you wouldn't want to partake in pouring ice water on your head and waste that precious water. That's where the alternative of the challenge comes in. The Ice Bucket Challenge doesn't just say pour ice water on your head; it also says that you can donate to the cause in lieu of that, which hopefully you do.
For the naysayers, yes, there are some people who are choosing to pour ice water on their heads instead of donating, but the majority of people fulfilling the challenge are doing both. While some people may still have a negative concept of pouring ice water on your head, by doing the challenge, you're spreading the word and making more people aware of the disease, which is helping us get one step closer to finding a cure. If you're still not convinced, read this incredible blog post from the perspective of a woman dealing with the disease firsthand.
If you haven't been nominated yet, and would like to be, consider this your official nomination. I was challenged by my friend, Lauren, who I met while traveling with EF College Break. I challenged my friends, Anamaria, Mandy, Analeigh, and Tyler, and my blog friends, Nina, Emily, and Raewyn!
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At first I thought this was so silly but then I read about how many donations it's bringing in and it's really a great mix of fundraising, activism and engagement! I was also stunned at how many people had never heard of ALS, so it's probably been great for raising awareness too.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why people are hating on it, it's raising awareness AND funds for ALS and it's just fun to watch people especially celebrities get creative with how they do this! My favorite at the moment is the creative one done by Bill Gates.
ReplyDeleteOh boy that does look cold though.
I'm glad you did both. My issue with it before your post was that people were just doing the ice bucket challenge and not donating money, which kind of defeats the purpose.
ReplyDeleteIt's great that you donated and participated in the challenge. Ice water is no joke. :-)
ReplyDeleteAll of my grown children and lots of their friends did the ice water bucket challenge a few months ago and I got a kick out of watching them all on FB. I was called out, but I donated instead!
ReplyDeleteSo awesome that you explained it here! I was wondering what all the hype is about!
ReplyDeletehttp://neatly-packaged.com/
At first I didn't know it was for a cause. I was called out but I just can't go through getting ice and ice water poured on my head so I rather just donate instead.
ReplyDeleteGirl you are brave!! Ice water and me just wouldn't mix...I think I would defnitely just have to donate. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI'm doing it this afternoon... But I'm kind of scared! I think it's good to raise awareness about this, and I'm glad that people are donating money too. I am always annoyed when people talk about a disease like ALS but don't take action. So yay for you! I also live in a state where we deal with droughts so I have a hard time just dumping a bucket of water on my head... But it's for a good cause.
ReplyDeleteThis is great. Go girl! Also thank you for explain it, some people need to know all of this before they take it as a game.
ReplyDeleteI think there are two versions of the ice bucket challenge- one where you do the challenge to "avoid" donating $100 OR you do the challenge and donate $10 to "avoid" donating $100. I personally did the $10 and ice bucket challenge, but donated more than $10 anyway. I hate the critics who just rant saying it's dumb and everyone's trying to get out of paying and how it's pointless, there are "better" things to worry about, etc. It really, really grinds my gears. But anyway, thanks for being positive and promoting the challenge! (:
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this, I was wondering why an ice bucket for ALS, but now I understand. It makes even more sense. I think it is awesome how vital it has become, I wish more people knew the why behind it.
ReplyDeleteI think the fundraising behind the challenge is great. I just hope people are actually donating while posting their videos as that was the purpose. I think you are awesome for participating!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how much money this fundraiser and raised. Some people are critical of it, maybe rightly so but idk, saying that the fundraiser is just trendy and doesn't really raise money or awareness for ALS. But look at how much attention the ice bucket challenge is getting! It is working in raising awareness and funds (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/18/business/ice-bucket-challenge-has-raised-millions-for-als-association.html). Great post, love that this is spreading! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this, and explaining it!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing that article. That was really an eye-opener, and I loved reading about the challenge from the perspective of someone who has experienced the disease first-hand. Her comparisons are incredible.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that the challenge has gotten so much attention. I don't understand why people wouldn't like something that is bringing so much awareness on this disease that no one was even talking about this time last year. The amount of money raised is simply amazing, and I hope the hype continues, because it's for a great cause.
ReplyDeleteThe small discomfort I felt was nothing compared to the people who are suffering from the disease, which makes me want to open my heart to those that have it. I love all the hype surrounded by the challenge because of all the good it's done.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that I could shed light on the subject for you! I know a lot of people don't even know what it is or don't get it, and neither did I until I looked more into it. Once I did, I became passionate about being involved, and I'm so thrilled to see so many influential people and celebrities taking a stand against the disease and taking on the challenge. I hope the hype around the challenge helps educate more people about this incurable disease and raise awareness.
ReplyDeleteIt upsets me as well that people aren't behind the challenge. I think so many people have the mindset of going against the crowd, but I want to tell those people to grow up and wake up and realize that this is an amazing cause to be behind and be a part of. Who wouldn't want to raise funds for a disease that incurable?? I don't understand some people. Kudos to you for participating in the challenge too!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know anything about ALS prior to the challenge, and once I was challenged, I wanted to educate myself about it before advocating against it like so many people had. After I learned what the challenge was about, I didn't understand why a good number of people would be against doing something like this. It's raising awareness for a disease that most people don't know about and we're helping to raise money to eventually find a cure!
ReplyDeleteThe sensation only lasted a few seconds, so I'm sure you took it like a champ! I agree that it's annoying when people hide behind their words. A lot of people that are against the challenge aren't educated on the subject, and I made sure that I knew what I was talking about before I posted anything about it. I'm glad you're on board!
ReplyDeleteThe thought was scary at first, but the sensation only lasts a few seconds. I couldn't imagine living with it though, which is why I'm so passionate about raising awareness about the cause!
ReplyDeleteI've seen so many people against the challenge, and it really breaks my heart. Why would you be against something that helps find a cure for a disease that's incurable? It honestly doesn't make sense. It's like high school when people didn't want to do something because everybody else was doing it. Why wouldn't you want to fight for something that could make a difference in the lives of so many? I'm glad that you participated in the challenge too!
ReplyDeleteSeveral people don't know that it's for a cause, which is why I'm enjoying educating people on the subject. I don't know much, but I like to share what little bit I do know. I think the challenge has been a great way to get people educated about the disease and it's raised millions of funds, which is amazing in and of itself.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I could shed some light on the subject for you! I know a lot of people that are against it, and it was just weighing on my heart to share my thoughts and my participation on my blog.
ReplyDeleteI've loved seeing all of the videos in my news feed with people doing the challenge! I'm glad that you still donated to the cause!
ReplyDeleteIt really is no joke! Even though I was freezing for a few seconds, it's nothing compared to the people who suffer from the disease, which is why I didn't mind taking the challenge myself.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I like to think of the challenge as more of an awareness and means to donate rather than an avoidance of it. I'm glad that you participated! You took it like a champ!
ReplyDeleteI definitely do agree with people participating and not donating. I don't think that's the point of the challenge. I like to think of it as more of raising awareness and urging people to donate. It's a great cause, and I don't see why people wouldn't want to!
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why people are against the challenge either. It's raised millions of funds for a disease that's incurable, so I don't get why people would see that as a bad thing. I've loved seeing all of the celebrities do it because their audience is so huge, and having the videos reach that many people will do incredible things for the ALS Association and help us find a cure.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how many funds have been raised compared to this time last year. It's beautiful how the world is coming together to accept these challenges and raise awareness of the disease. I didn't know anything about the disease, and there are still so many people who are uneducated, which is why I'm glad the videos are going viral and even celebrities are participating.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading! I don't know much about the disease, but I know more than I did before the challenge, which is why I love spreading the word about it.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you posted this info. I've been feeling really positive about the challenge and think that so many people are talking it down, but they should just let it be if they don't want to be involved, ya know? Well done.
ReplyDeleteI agree that if people don't want to do the challenge, they should just let the hype ride out for now. I'm excited to see so many people doing the challenge because it's raising more awareness, which is making the ALS Association more likely to find a cure sooner rather than later.
ReplyDeleteTiffany, I love how informed this post is. Many people are missing the boat, but you nailed it with all of the information and letting everyone know that we should do both :) Great work, here! We've been nominated, and I'm going to link to your post when our video is up!
ReplyDelete~ Beth Anne
Way to go, Tiffany! I am so glad that so many people are learning about, and supporting ALS. We stayed dry, but still wrote checks :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. I was actually surprised when I read it.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think many people are missing the point of it, and are just hating on it because the challenge has gone viral. I support anything that goes viral for a cause as amazing as this! Thanks so much for linking to my post! That means so much. Good luck with the challenge!
ReplyDeleteI think that's all that matters! Raising awareness and raising money for this great cause!
ReplyDeleteSo I didn't pour ice on my head but I will definitely be donating. It might not be $100 but it will be as much as I can afford to give right now! :)
ReplyDeleteThat's okay! The point of the challenge is to raise awareness and funds for this horrible disease. I saw a video today that says only 30,000 people have the disease, which is why it wasn't being funded. Pharmaceutical companies didn't think it was profitable enough to try to do research to find a cure. Isn't that awful? Your donation will definitely help fund the research needed to find a cure!
ReplyDeleteI am so thankful you both donated and took the challenge. I was so annoyed with people just dumping buckets of water on their head to avoid donating! Also, thanks for the nomination. *Side eye annoyed emoji* I just posted the video to my Facebook!
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