The sound of ice water splashing over William Combs’ body follows his announcement that he’s been nominated by his friend to participate in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
“I’m actually responsible for getting challenged,” said Combs. After a discussion with his friend about not only making a donation, but participating in the actual challenge of pouring a bucket of ice water over himself, Combs found himself in the midst of this viral sensation.
“[It’s a good idea because] on one hand because it’s fun and silly to watch people’s reactions, and on the other hand I think it’s something people see on social media and want to be a part of,” said Combs.
Through the power of social media, over a million participants have shared videos of themselves pouring a bucket of ice water over their heads and daring three other people to do the same to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
According to the official ALS website, donations quadrupled from $22.6 million on Aug. 19 to $88.5 million as of Aug. 26, bringing the total amount of money raised from the campaign to 34 times the amount raised during the same time period last year as a result of the popular phenomenon the challenge has become between July and August.
The Ice Bucket Challenge in support of ALS originated from a former D1 baseball player, Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2012.
Approximately 5,600 people are diagnosed each year, and it is estimated that 30,000 Americans suffer from ALS at any given time. However, people donating and accepting to take on the challenge, like junior Brady Patrick, are also helping raise funds to find a cure for the disease and getting others involved.
“I did the challenge because it’s a good cause and it’s a popular trend right now,” said Patrick. “It involves people owning up to the challenge and people wanting to nominate their friends to see their reaction to ice water.”
According to the New York Times, $41 million in donations has been raised just this year for the ALS Association, whereas just $22,000 was raised when the challenge was first introduced by Pete Frates in 2013.
Before she did the challenge in August with the volleyball team, sophomore Reigan Baskin was unaware of what ALS is; however, since learning about what the disease is because of the Ice Bucket Challenge, she believes that money isn’t the sole purpose of participating.
“I think it’s good to donate, but even if you don’t and you do the challenge, I still think it’s okay because it’s raising awareness,” said Baskin.
Donating or not has created controversy over the stipulations of the challenge itself. Unlike Baskin, Combs believes that people should follow the challenge protocol and donate $10 within 24 hours of being nominated if they can. The challenge terms state that the nominee must complete the ice bucket, or forfeit and donate $100.
“I think it’s kind of wrong. I understand that that’s within the terms, but the whole point is that it’s a fundraiser. So, go ahead and donate,” said Combs. “I understand if there’s some people who aren’t in a position where they can donate, but they’re still raising awareness. But, if you can, I think you should.”