Although the origins of the challenge are a little hazy, it’s
impact is certainly not. Even those living under a rock have probably heard rumblings of it, if not they've at least been splashed by the runoff and wondered where the heck all of this water was coming from! What started as a stunt to raise a little money for charities has blossomed into an absolute social phenomenon; for charities reaping the benefits, this has to be not only a mind-blowing influx of donations but an utter miracle. The popularity is undeniable and the benefits for some (specifically for ALS research) are truly amazing. What's crazy is that the charities benefiting didn't even establish this challenge themselves as a means of increasing donations; rather this was done by regular every day people. So where did this all come from? There are numerous stories out there of it's origins,but most of those beginnings start with the idea of the "ALS Ice Bucket Challenge", and not the true beginnings of the larger water bucket challenge (which is the same thing).
The two most readily accepted origins of the ALS version are from golf and baseball. The golf origin began with Chris Kennedy, a professional golfer, taking the challenge AND filming it. Note that he was challenged as well prior to doing the challenge, but he decided to film his challenge and post his experience; that subsequently spread like wildfire (Wait, isn't water supposed to put out wildfire?). The baseball origin is of Pete Frates, a Boston College baseball player, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012. He served as an inspiration to others and his story led the opening run of the Ice Bucket Challenge. Regardless as to where the very first drenching was combined with a donation, it's definitely inspired many to participate. I applaud that fact; it's great to see people contribute to charity.
My personal view of the challenge is a mixed bag. There's good, bad, funny, and well, even more good. First off, giving is good! I absolutely believe in the adage that it is better to give than to receive, and my goodness have people given! Looking at different periods of time, there are numerous monetary comparisons available to see the success of the challenge but the one that sticks out to me is this news story by Fox Boston, in which the ALS Association reports a 14 day total fundraising of $1.35 million. This was for a time frame of July 29th to August 11th, 2014. Although that alone is pretty awesome, you may not realize how incredible that number really is until you compare to that same time-fame the previous year where the fundraising only totaled $22,000. Wow! Does it have something to do with American's sudden obsession with dousing themselves in ice cold water? You bet it does! There in lies the good side of the challenge. So many people have given; many of which would not have given to any charity had they not participated! That, of course, does assume a donation; hopefully all those drenched heads also made donations! To me the largest impact is the extent of first time givers! This is a positive that can't be questioned; it's awesome!
Now you may ask why there is any other view besides the good side? That is a valid question and there are a few answers, some serious and some humorous.
First off is the reasoning behind the challenge. It's supposed to bring awareness. Sure it started as a way to force your friends to film themselves doing something stupid for no real reason at all, but when you add a solid reasoning behind it (something to validate your need to embarrass them) then that challenge has meaning and it takes hold. That validating reason is the spreading of awareness (and fundraising). Unfortunately as I watch challenge after challenge, what I see consists of people dumping water over their heads and a quick mention of ALS without any substantive information educating us on the disease. Don't get me wrong; some of the challenges have come with a real message and I applaud those individuals for taking the time to either educate or tell why this is close to their hearts but for those that have not been fortunate enough to see those well thought-out videos, you may have missed the point. That point is awareness of Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS for short). So that begs the question, what is ALS?
My understanding of the disease prior to this phenomenon was that it was known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, and that it is an incurable disease that consists of muscular deterioration to the point that it not only affects your voluntary motor skills but also movements associated with everyday tasks that we take for granted like swallowing and even breathing. This recent rise of awareness has many wanting to know more. I believe that it's best succinctly explained here by the ALS Association. Hopefully this brings to light what this social phenomenon was all about... not about seeing people drenched or embarrassing your friends by doing something crazy, but about awareness (and fundraising).
A second negative is the social bombardment and this one is a two-parter. I enjoyed watching the videos at the beginning during first round of this, which came to my attention a number of months ago. By the time the ALS version took off it was played out but an influx of famous participants gave it greater visibility and helped fuel the cult following. Though it had a following it was over-exposed; I compare it to campaigns during election season. You may like seeing a commercial with your favorite candidate in the beginning stages but by the time the election arrives you've been desensitized to most of their messages and by those of their opponents because they are in your face constantly. Just like those campaigns, this challenge isin your face... All... The... Time.
The second in this two-parter is the social pressure to conform. I compare that to peer pressure and/or bullying. It is not an invitation to take part; it's an expectation. Let me paraphrase the challenge as "Either pay a lot or dump this on your head and pay a little". Wait, those are my only two options and if I don't, then what? Am I a bad person? If I choose to another charity instead or to give to this one without making a spectacle of myself is that somehow less worthy of social acceptance? Yep, I think it is. If you are challenged and don't participate you're not seen as a strong individual for not being roped in; rather you are the one that didn't care enough to participate. Yep; that sounds like peer pressure and bullying to me. Oh, I will say that I was challenged in the first phase (the pre-ALS phase) and I did not participate for this very reason.
The third reason is a grander scope; its something that I surmised was the case and have found others to support my theory. That is the idea that there are limited resources to be allocated to all charities and if one is siphoning all of the contributions, there is less for the other charities. In considering the mentality of what I consider to be an average american, I would suppose that they are on some sort of budge and have limit resources for shopping, eating out, and even for charity. Let's say they have $X to give to charity. Each person's $X amount may be different but there is some sort of threshold. Once a worthy cause captures your focus there is a good chance it will get your $X or a large portion of $X. At a later point in time a new cause captures your excitement and it begets the lion's share of your expendable charitable giving. Meanwhile the first cause takes a hit. It makes sense on a micro scale (single family) but when you apply it to every family taking part in this water challenge, I have to wonder where the funds are for the other charities. This model seems logical to me; it is not perfect, nor does it apply to everyone but I do believe it applies to many. A quick search of the internet found others with the same outlook and one article by William MacAskill called this Funding Cannibalism. What a great, succinct term to explain it! I totally agree with this concept and truly hope that funding cannibalism is not hurting other worthwhile, low-funded charities as much as would be expected. My hope is that this is an overstatement ; that rather than this funding cannibalism playing out in this way, instead a change in mentality occurs that causes people to have an overall mindset of giving; that is my hope.
The fourth ties into Funding Cannibalism and that is the idea that the Ice Bucket Challenge is an ALS fund raiser. As already stated, it was not for ALS in it's original form. In fact, the original challenges consisted of a person being challenged to give to a specific charity (as chosen by the person issuing the challenge). In turn, once you completed the challenge you may choose your own charity to support by issuing your own challenge to friends. In turn they would give to your charity, pick their own and continue to the down-line. This is great! Everybody wins! Unfortunately what was good for ALL has become good for ONE. I urge everyone to continue to give to whatever charities you would have already given to AND if you want to give to something else, then find a charity that is close to your heart. ALS Association can definitely benefit from your giving but so can so many others; don't let them go without!
One charity that I give to year in and year out is the United Way. It's a great organization that does a lot of good in the local community; in addition the United Way ensures that most of the money is used for the causes for which it's actually donated. Many times funds organizations receive are eaten up in administrative costs, but this is not so with the United Way, whom ensures that at least 88 cents of every dollar donated end up used as they were intended.
Other charities you may consider include JDRF for type 1 diabetes, The Salvation Army, and The American Red Cross just to name a few. There are so many great charities that can use your funds. You don't have to be associated with an Ice Bucket, Cold Water, or any challenge to give. It's great that Ice water been the spark (oxymoron I know) to inspire those to give, but you don't have to get wet to participate; you just have to have the heart and the ability to give. Ability is not limited to the amount of money in your bank account; you can give your money; give your time; donate goods or even donate your blood. I am reminded once again of the adage of giving being better than receiving. There is so much truth to that. Whether you believe them as the words of Jesus ("It is more blessed to give than to receive") or whether you've experienced the joy in your heart as you watch a child open a present you've given them, or even the happiness you've had when volunteering to help those in need, it is very hard to argue with the the fact that it is truly better to give than to receive.
Finally, on a lighter note here's a little humor wrap things up:
I have to admit I get a kick out of internet memes. This one made me laugh... and brings home a few points
First, as American's we have so much that we take for granted! (Even the water.) With so much, we should have plenty to give.
Second, you don't have to pour water over your head in order to help others out!
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