ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

The Ice Bucket Challenge is an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice water on one's head, which was started as a campaign to promote awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and gained widespread popularity in 2014. The rules state that after being challenged to participate in the activity, the challenged has 24 hours to either participate and donate $10 to the ALS charity of their choice, or, if they choose not to do so, to donate $100. This has led some commentators to criticize it for portraying the challenge itself as preferable to donating to ALS organizations. It has led to a significant spike in both funds raised for ALS-related organizations and awareness of ALS. Since July 29, more than 70,000 new donors have donated money to the ALS Association.

Origin

The challenge was popularized when Massachusetts resident and former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who has ALS, began posting about it on Twitter. Frates went on to extend the challenge to some Boston athletes, who accepted it. He used the ice bucket challenge taken by Matt Lauer, which was started by Arizona women’s basketball coach Niya Butts.

Rules

Within 24 hours of receiving a challenge, participants are to video record themselves in continuous footage. First, they are to announce their acceptance of the challenge followed by pouring ice into a bucket of water. The bucket is then to be lifted overhead and poured over the participant's head. After completion, the participant has the option of extend the challenge and to donate $10 to the ALS charity of their choice. Alternatively, they can decline the challenge, in which case they are encouraged to donate $100. YOU CANNOT DO IT AGAIN OKAY GABRIELLA

Notable participants

• Aaron Rodgers
• Chris Christie
• Paul Bissonnette
• Jimmy Fallon
• Justin Timberlake
• Ethel Kennedy Kennedy also challenged Barack Obama, the President of the United States, to take the challenge, but Obama declined, saying he will donate $100 to an ALS charity instead.
• Mark Zuckerberg
• Satya Nadella
• New England Patriots

Funds raised

As of August 12, 2014, the campaign has raised more than $2.3 million dollars for the ALS Association since July 29, 2014. The Washington Post reported that by early August, donations for the ALS Foundation were up 50 percent over the previous year. It has also raised about $25,000 for the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins University, after about two dozen researchers there took the challenge. After doing so, they then challenged five other similar centers and the National Institutes of Health to do the same.