ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE

Hellllooooo!! I am in a great mood right now! Why? I was challenged roughly 20 hours ago to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Now, unless you're living under a rock everyone at least knows what this challenge is because it has gone so viral sooo fast! I've seen it on the news, twitter, tumbler, YouTube,  and in my local newspaper. Best of all, it is super simple; I introduced myself, who challenged me, and who I now challenge (I went into more detail on my Facebook description).

As viral as this trend has gotten, I'm not too sure if people really understand what this is all about. Here's a little history lesson... The Ice Bucket Challenge wasn't just invented for ALS awareness. As a ware to raise awareness of various illnesses such as Cancer, pouring ice water over your head was a way of fund raising. However, the link between ALS and the ice bucket challenge is dated back to July 15 of this year by a golfer, Chris Kennedy, who (as a joke) nominated his wife's cousin to participate as it is her husband who actually suffers from the disease. She decided to participate and posted her video of herself the following day, nominating people also. Before they knew it BAM it went viral like cat videos on YouTube.

Unfortunately, I have also seen negative comments :( There's a meme of a little African boy next to a reporter with the caption, "So let me get this straight, you waste water on yourselves to raise money?" I understand the importance of water conservation, but this is just to have a little fun for a great cause. Think of it this way, instead of watering your plants for one day, use that water to participate in this viral charity event. Also, I have seen people create the misconception that dumping water over your head is the opt out for donating money. It originally began that the person participating it to donate at least $10 (of course that is your own choice) and as a forfeit for not completing the challenge within 24 hours, you must donate $100 to the cause.

I think this is a great way to get a ton of people across the world involved. It ends up being a quick 30 second video, making it a great way to raise money and awareness. This viral sensation has already raised over $15 million. I'm just really glad that i spent the extra couple of minutes to get involved!