ALS Icebucket Challenge

Ok, so for the better part of two weeks my Facebook feed has been inundated with ALS Icebucket Challenge's and the videos of those who've accepted the challenge.

In short, someone nominates you and you have 24 Hours to "take a video of yourself dumping a bucket of ice water over your head - and donate $10.00 to ALS; and nominate 3 people to do the challenge," or you are supposed to donate $100.00 to ALS.

Now, while I do believe that this challenge has raised awareness and raised more money for this particular affliction than had the challenge not been going around, I'm pretty much over it.

I would MUCH MUCH MUCH rather see people posting information about ALS to raise awareness about it, and the $10.00 donation challenge, rather than wasting water and filling my Facebook feed with silly videos.

Now, for those of you who are not sure what ALS is, including one college gal who's interview I read after she'd done the challenge quoting her as thinking it was for people who were studying English As a Second Language, ALS is Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a disease of the never cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement.

My feeling is that most people dumping the water over themselves do not really know anything about the disease, nor does dumping this water teach them anything about it.

I am also of the feeling that most people who have dumped the water have NOT also donated the "required" $10.00 donation, nor have most of those who've ignored the nomination donated the "required" $100.00 donation. AND, what if you're nominated and actually can not afford to make a donation of $10.00 let alone $100.00???

But I digress...here's a website that will give you more information on ALS should you actually be curious about it: http://www.alsa.org

And here's a website for Diabetes: http://www.diabetes.org

And one for Parkinson's: http://www.pdf.org

And one for Chron's: http://www.ccfa.org/what-are-crohns-and-colitis/what-is-crohns-disease/

 My final thought for the moment is this, if you are truly wanting to donate money to a cause, to raise awareness for a disease you feel is "under represented" than share information from qualified websites, share names of places one can make a donation ... don't just waste water! But I dirgess...