Ice Bucket Challenge

2014-08-17 11:48:38.000 – Arielle Ahrens,  Summit Intern

One of the current trends you may see happening is the Ice Bucket Challenge. People are posting videos where they pour a bucket of ice water over their heads and nominate their friends to do the same. But why are they doing this? It seems a little silly to just pour ice water on your head. But the Ice Bucket challenge isn’t just a trend – it’s a tool people are using to spread awareness about Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”. You can learn more about ALS on the ALS Association’s website.

The way the challenge works is someone challenges you to pour a bucket of ice water over your head. If you accept the challenge, you do so and then nominate others for the challenge. If you decline the challenge, you are encouraged to donate $100 to an ALS charity. The main goal of the challenge, however, is to raise awareness for ALS.

Earlier this morning, Observer Mike Dorfman, this week’s Museum Docent Dawn, and I completed the Ice Bucket Challenge. Dawn nominated a few of her friends, Mike nominated his sister and girlfriend, and I nominated the other summit shift (Mike Carmon, Mike Kyle, Tom Padham, and their Museum Attendants, Jan and Christine). I look forward to watching everyone’s Ice Bucket Challenge videos and continuing to spread the awareness for ALS. #strikeoutALS

Observer Footnote: Have you ever wondered about bird migrations in the White Mountains? Join us this Wednesday evening, August 20, at 7PM at the Weather Discovery Center in North Conway for our final Science in the Mountains presentation titled, “Fall Migration in the White Mountains”. We’ll see you there!

Arielle Ahrens,  Summit Intern