SMU’s Phi Delta Theta chapter has recently reached its goal of raising more than $10,000 for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research through the recently popular ice bucket challenge. The fraternity, whose philanthropy changes from year to year, landed on the ALS Association as this year’s beneficiary.
If you’ve visited Facebook, Twitter or Instagram recently, your feed has likely been inundated with videos of your friends and favorite celebrities pouring buckets of ice water on their heads as a part of the campaign to “strikeout ALS.”
Countless SMU students have completed the challenge as well. Phi Delta Theta’s Ice Bucket Challenge ’14 Facebook group boasts 238 members and the feed is almost exclusively videos of members and their friends accepting the challenge.
ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, attacks nerve cells and leads to paralysis. Life expectancy is usually two to five years from the time of diagnosis and about 30,000 Americans have been diagnosed.
The challenge requires nominees to pour buckets of ice water on their heads and nominate their friends to do the same within 24 hours, or donate $100 to ALS research. The fad started with a video posted by Pete Frates, a 29-year-old former college baseball player, who has been diagnosed with the disease.
Frates nominated himself for the challenge, and instead of being iced, he bobs his head to Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby,” writing, “ice water and ALS are a bad mix.” He accepted the challenge again Aug. 14, this time taking the cold plunge with Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks and manager John Farrell.
Before Frates, NBC’s Today Show host Matt Lauer accepted the challenge from golfer Greg Norman on air. But instead of donating to ALS, he chose to give to the Hospice of Palm Beach County.
The challenge itself has been criticized by bloggers and journalists alike. Will Oremus of Slate.com encourages readers to take the “no ice bucket challenge,” and simply donate money instead of posting about it on social media.
“More than anything else, the ice bucket videos feel like an exercise in raising awareness of one’s own zaniness, altruism, and/or attractiveness in a wet T-shirt,” he wrote. “Just donate the damn money, whether to the ALS Association or to some other charity of your choice.”
Some are criticizing the challenge for its disregard of water and energy conservation. The Daily Currant even posted a satirical blog about California fining participants of the challenge.
But there’s no denying this trend is benefiting the ALS Association. As of Aug. 17, the organization said it had received $13.3 million in donations since July 29, gaining about 260,000 new donors. During the same period last year, the association had raised $1.7 million.
