I’m never one to post about my personal opinions as I think everyone should be entitled to his or her own thoughts, but one thing recently has really irked me. As I’m sure almost everyone has noted, the #icebucketchallenge has taken on a life form of its own in just a few short days. Every day I log into my social media accounts I am barraged by videos of men and women dumping ice water on their heads. There’s no arguing that it’s done a fantastic job of bringing people’s attention to ALS, and it is amazing that the ALS Foundation has received tenfold the amount of donations in the last few days as it did during the same time last year. But is this the best way to go about it? People’s hearts might be in the right place, but 9 out of 10 videos I see posted fail to convey the initial and inherent purpose of the movement: to educate others and invoke action against such an ugly disease. Too often I see people happy to complete the “challenge,” and “nominate” their friends to complete it too without any real mention of what ALS is and what we can do to help. For example, did you know there’s an average of 15 new cases of ALS diagnosed each day? Or that only 50% of those diagnosed live longer than 3 years? It has no racial, ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries. Furthermore, why is donating $100 to an ALS charity offered as a sort of consolation prize for those not up for the “challenge” of dumping ice on their heads? I hate to say it, but it seems like a good portion of those partaking in this #icebucketchallenge are merely doing it for the sake of partaking in a social media movement and feeling like they’re a part of something bigger. If you TRULY want to help fight this debilitating and heartbreaking disease, I encourage you to educate yourself and others on the disease and take real action. Understand the emotional side of it by reading Tuesday’s with Morrie. Visit the ALS Foundation website and learn what else you can do to help. Spend some time volunteering. If you really wanted to make a difference and not just feel good about being a part of the social media trend, then I emplore you to find another way to give. Don’t pour a bucket of ice water on your head today, and go on about your life tomorrow – just think about how much support the ALS Foundation would receive if EVERYONE who partook in this challenge vowed to donate to the cause as well (And a REALLY BIG shoutout to those of you who have!!) alsa.org/donate/
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 01:59:06 +0000
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