Major League Baseball announced that all 30 Clubs will participate in the return of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge this August. For unknown reasons, veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS as the general population.
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The organization is teaming up with Major League Baseball to help kick off the challenge for another year.
On Friday night, the men who began the challenge, Pete Frates and Pat Quinn, relaunched the campaign at Fenway Park with the help of the Boston Red Sox. “Pat and I can’t wait to kick things off this Friday at Fenway”.
Time will tell if this year’s efforts match or surpass the first Ice Bucket Challenge, but don’t be surprised to see your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds flooded with videos of your friends and family dousing themselves in ice water. It involves pouring a bucket of ice cold water onto someone’s (or your own) head, then challenging others to do the same.
The organization said 67 percent of the money raised from last year’s Ice Bucket Challenge will go to research, 20 percent to patient services, 9 percent to education and the final 4 percent to fundraising and processing. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, it’s characterized by the death of nerve cells that leave voluntary muscles paralyzed.
The ALS Society of Quebec says it plans to revive the challenge every August until a cure for the disease is found, but it wants to emphasize the giving aspect. By leading the way in global research, providing assistance for people with ALS through a nationwide network of chapters, coordinating multidisciplinary care through certified clinical care centers, and fostering government partnerships, The Association builds hope and enhances quality of life while aggressively searching for new treatments and a cure. Approximately 5,000 Americans are diagnosed with ALS each year.
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The #IceBucketChallenge, which raised $220 million last year, has become an annual event.
