ice buckets & charitable giving

There has been a lot - ranking right up there with baby and pet pix - on social media about the Ice Bucket Challenge. Most of it has to do with ALS. Your friends have done it, their friends have done it, George Bush and Ben Affleck have done it. AND ALS has had a huge financial benefit. Great news for ALS! If you have chosen to participate in this icy challenge, please know what I'm saying here is in no way a criticism of your generosity and participation. The whole ice bucket thing just makes me uncomfortable. I'm a stick in the mud, I know, but I don't like wearing my PJs to school or dressing wacky for crazy day either. I've been cringing since this started.

I was wondering about the beginnings of this challenge, and I ran across multiple articles that explained it. This Is Why Critics Are Slamming the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge does a decent job, and you don't have to take a subscription or log in like so many I found. I'm not sure the title is really all that good a match for the entire article, but it does outline the history, and it gives you some more funny videos to watch in addition to telling you what some of the critics have to say.

Like so many things popular, the ice bucket challenge has morphed. The original was supposed to be a punishment for NOT giving, not something you had to do in addition to giving. Give or get drenched! It was also not attached to ALS - it was a challenge to give to any charity. In some earlier videos, there is no mention of ALS. There have also been some serious injuries - from huge buckets dropped on participants' heads to electrocution.

 

Some of these are just funny, but some are painful to watch, and you know the person was hurt.

http://youtu.be/ByuY2oLmZJQ

 

I also found this video of Patrick Stewart. I love his challenge.

 

http://youtu.be/wkO4NIqAMss

 

He might be giving to ALS, but he might, just might, be giving to another charity, a favorite charity, a charity dear to his heart.

So the challenge really is to give to some worthy charity. I gladly accept that challenge! And I'm grateful for the reminder to give. Charities need us to be generous today, tomorrow and throughout the year.

 

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