Get nominated at Ice Bucket Challenge is freezing. Literally. Remember, this challenge consisted of pouring a bucket of ice water or ice cubes over your head, filming yourself, posting the video, and naming friends who were to take the challenge.
The goal ? Raise awareness about amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This still relatively unknown pathology is also called Charcot’s disease in France (Lou Gehrig’s disease in the United States). One of the effects of ALS is muscle atrophy. It is this effect that aims to reproduce the paralyzing effect of ice on the “challengers”. If at the start, they had to choose between the bucket of ice and make a donation to the American association ALS, most of the participants chose to do both: take up the challenge before making a donation.
The popularity of the Ice Bucket Challenge is no stranger to the massive participation of celebrities. Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg or even Justin Timberlake all succumbed to the bucket of ice water and thus contributed to the viral effect of this challenge.
The majority of funds for seeking treatment
The Ice Bucket Challenge made it possible to to harvest $ 115 million in the United States and over $ 300 million worldwide. The association announced that it has already used 40% of this amount. The majority was invested in the search for a treatment (77 million dollars or 67% of the funds raised). 23 million went to services caring for patients: purchases of materials to help them communicate or move around but also for reception structures and hospitals. 10 million dollars were used to train and sensitize doctors around this disease. 3 million were allocated to communication to organize new collections. Finally, 2 million were used to cover certain costs, such as the management of donations.
Such transparency may be rare, but the association’s researchers still need money if they are to hope to find a cure for the disease (according to their estimates, it would take at least a billion dollars). A new campaign has been launched to have funds raised in August every year until a treatment is developed.
In France, the ARSLA (Association for Research on Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) which, thanks to the Ice Bucket Challenge, collected more than 150,000 euros in donations in 2014 will relaunch the operation this summer. A giant Ice Bucket Challenge will be organized on July 30, 2015 at Place de la République in Paris.
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