It's gone viral. By now you've seen plenty of people taking that ice bucket challenge. It's raising money and awareness for the ALS Association, supporting treatment and research to find a cure for the fatal Lou Gehrig's disease. We wanted to know if people understand what buckets of ice water have to do with curing an incurable disease and if the challenge is making a difference here in our area. We took our camera to downtown Erie and asked the question. Pat Miller told us, "It's for ALS, raising awareness, it's supposed to raise money right? I think it's good for raising awareness, but I think if they donated the money they spend on two bags of ice, instead of dumping it over their heads it would be better for the organization overall."
Hunter Lytle told us he's seen it on ESPN, but he doesn't understand it. "I think it's stupid to be completely honest, I don't really understand the entire process of it," he said. Lytle said he's concerned that the real message could be hidden, something he believes happened with the #AJO initiative that went viral. "At first people did it for the cause, after a while people did it to get on the news or get recognition for it. It might turn into something like that as well," he said.
Merritt Spier who runs the ALS Association Western Pennsylvania Chapter says the initiative that started with a former Boston College baseball captain has had a major impact. Between July 29 and August 12, the ALS Association and its 38 chapters have received $4 million in donations compared to $1.12 million during the same time period last year. "The ice bucket challenge is making a huge difference, not just in Western PA, but all over the nation, it's literally soaking the nation and the ALS Association is thrilled with the level of awareness," said Spier. She added that the local association has a walk coming up in Pittsburgh and they've already raised over 50% of the income for that, and that Pittsburgh Penguins and Steelers athletes are getting on board.
The Western Pennsylvania Chapter is supporting 300 people in 31 counties impacted by Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The major league baseball great was diagnosed 75 years ago but there is still no cure. The progressive disease typically claims lives in two to five years, robbing people of the muscle control they need to walk, eat, speak and breath. Spier said, "Here we are 75 years later and there is still no treatment and no cure, that's why it's critical that we donate not just for patient care, but for research and a cure."
