"I was nominated..."

Social media is one of the best ways to spread information to a wide array of people in a short period of time. Many instances may include rumors, party destinations, engagements, break-ups, and political views. I have logged onto Facebook and scrolled endlessly through drama and photos without stopping to actually read the posts. During the last few months, something changed on Facebook. Videos were being posted about some ice water challenge, but I simply continued to scroll through them. The amount of videos began to grow, until there was almost nothing else to see while I scrolled through my home page. This is something more than just people dumping water on themselves, I thought. So I decided to stop scrolling and watch a video or two. They all started the same, "I was nominated for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge by..." They all ended the same, "I would like to challenge... You have 24 hours. Good luck." Then they would pick up a bucket and dump water over their heads. 

I decided to find out what was prompting people to do such a bizarre thing. Maybe it was just some weird thing people were trying now, like the Cinnamon Challenge a few years ago. I took my inquiries to the one place I knew I could get an answer: Google.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is an attempt to raise awareness for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This disease affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, and causes them to eventually die. The death of nerve cells causes those with ALS to become paralyzed. For more information about ALS, please visit the ALS Association Website.

I was eventually challenged to complete the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Before learning about ALS, I would have rolled my eyes and said I wasn't going to do that, but I am now proud to take the challenge because I know it is raising awareness for a disease many people know nothing about. My friend, who had also been nominated, joined me as we filled up our buckets, made our speech, and had ice cold water dumped on our heads.

There are some people who do not believe that the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is actually helping those with ALS. However, I found two articles that illustrate how much The Challenge is helping. The first one, found here, explains that the Ice Bucket Challenge is raising money for ALS, encouraging people to donate to charity, and raising a substantial amount of money for ALS. The second one, found here, states that the "social media-powered video challenge" has helped raise over $100 million for the ALS Association. 

Although social media is commonly misused, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has utilized social media to raise money to help those who need it. Facebook is not the only outlet people use to share their Challenge videos, Vine and Instagram are also commonly used. If these videos were not posted, I would still not know anything about ALS and how much damage it does to its victims. We laugh as we watch the reaction to the freezing cold water, but there is still a message to be sent through these videos. 

I was nominated by my friends and family to complete the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. I have now completed the Challenge, donated $10, and learned more about ALS. I challenge YOU to learn more about ALS and how it affects those diagnosed with it. You have 24 hours. Good luck!