The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Returns!
I am excited to hear about this anniversary event for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge!
My brother has had ALS for over 6 years, and last year's viral campaign made a huge difference to the lives of those suffering with ALS, bringing much awareness about what these individuals and their families are dealing with.
While I was devastated when I heard my brother was diagnosed, his progress over the years has strengthened my spirit, taught me to never give up , to value each day, and cherish our loved ones while they are alive.
The 2015 Academy-Award winning movie, The Theory of Everything, about the life of Stephen Hawking, was another great moment last year, as the film breaks a lot of the stigma and boundaries imposed on persons with ALS. This film brought me even more hope for my brother. It's a new day for ALS, and a cure is achievable. If Hawking can still be living in his 70s after being diagnosed in his 20s, then my brother has an excellent chance to also lead a long and productive life!
Here's the press release from the ALS Society of BC:
While generous Canadians cooled themselves with buckets of ice and issued challenges to others, the lives of people living with ALS were dramatically changed unprecedented investments into ALS research and practical patient care.
It has been a year since the inception of the immensely popular ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The popularity of the viral campaign has brought the fight for a cure to the forefront of news and social media platforms across the globe.
As the largest media campaign in history, according to Facebook, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge resulted in over 17 million videos, generating more than 10 billion views. The money raised from last year’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is increasing the speed at which drugs are going to clinical trial and improving quality of life for those living with ALS.
Even with the tremendous success of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, ALS is still not a treatable disease, yet. Every August Until A Cure.
Beginning August 6th of this year, the ALS Society of BC, in partnership with ALS Societies across Canada, will mark the anniversary of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Reporting back to the donors and participants of the 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on how the funds have been invested in Canada, as well as the need for additional support in finding a cure for ALS.
This year’s event will start yet another wave of support and awareness for this debilitating disease.
Join the ALS Society of BC, along with dignitaries and special guests, on Thursday, August 6th, at Garry Point Park, 12011 Seventh Avenue, in Richmond at 11:00AM as we celebrate and begin the second wave of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Co-founder of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Pat Quinn will be there, as will ALS researchers and the ALS Society of BC.
Due to drought conditions in British Columbia, and to conserve water, we encourage everyone to recycle their 2014 ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos by sending them to info@alsbc.ca. The ALS Society of BC will compile all videos to air at the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge celebration held at Garry Point Park on August 6th at 11:00AM.
To activate the second wave, we encourage everyone to come up with an innovative idea for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, minus the water. Don’t forget to bring your bucket, filled with ideas, on August 6th! Need some suggestions, people have already generated amazing ideas, including flower peddles, empty bucket, ice cream, and cold hard cash!
Visit our ALS Ice Bucket Challenge website for more information about the event and how you can help support people affected by ALS: www.alsicebucketchallenge.ca/british-columbia
https://youtu.be/9ds2Kw4blMk