Hats off and buckets raised to the one who got the icy-wet challenge off the ground and onto countless heads and shoulders.
In a world where dollars, especially discretionary donations, are increasingly hard to come by, this Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) fundraiser is the current social media sensation. It seems everyone is either taking part in it, or knows about it.
Remember flash mobs? Don’t they now seem as old as the hula-hoop’s third revival?
The ice bucket challenge is a stroke of publicity genius mostly due to it’s simplicity.
The ice bucket rage is racing unchecked around the world, snowballing like a chain letter with each soaker spawning a potential three or four more. There are plenty of side-stories playing out as it goes, like political statements that can be delivered in a challenge. Leonardo Di Caprio in Northern Alberta, for instance, nominated Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
We hereby raise a fluffy bath towel to four plucky and benevolent staff members at the Castlegar News.
The brave ones who went for the rinse we are: Cindy Amaral, Selina Birk, Theresa Hodge and Katelyn Hurley. To this absorbent ‘gang of four,’ our thanks for flying the local colours and forwarding the challenge to our counterparts at the Nelson Star.
To would-be fundraisers for everything from health conditions to sports teams or cultural groups, the bar appears once again to have been raised. Finding a way to stand out, legally, in the age of social media may be pressing, but it’s sure not going to be easy.