RICHMOND, Va. — Have you noticed all the folks on your Facebook feed dumping buckets of icy water over their heads? Well, it turns out its for a very worthy cause.
The Ice Bucket Challenge phenomenon, which popped up a few months ago to raise awareness about ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, continues to gain popularity this summer on social media.
The challenge is pretty basic. You or a group of friends grab buckets of ice water and then dump them over your head. Of course, you have to capture that magic moment on your smartphone and then post the video on social media.
Once your video is posted, you challenge your friends to do #IceBucketChallenge to raise awareness about ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Those who opt not to take the challenge are urged to make a donation to their favorite ALS charity.
Celebrities have also taken the challenge to help spread the word.
“I got nominated to do one of these challenges and at first I thought it was dumb, but then I realized that it was for a good cause.
Raising money for ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease,” wrote “The Fault in Our Stars” actor Ansel Elgort wrote on Facebook.
And USC Football Coach Steve Sarkisian even got in on the action. The team posted a video to YouTube Sunday showing players dump a bucket of icy water over Sarkisian’s head.
About 5,600 people in the U.S. are diagnosed each year with the progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.
