Unless you live under a rock without Wifi (I think even rocks have Wifi now), you have heard about the Ice Bucket Challenge. It has it's own official hashtag and everything. Just in case you haven't heard of it, I will give you the CliffsNotes version.
This is how it works. One of your social media friends posts a video of him or herself giving some short inspirational speech about Lou Gehrig's disease and how we can donate $10 if we pour a bucket of ice water over our heads, or we can donate $100 dollars if we don't take an ice shower. The speeches vary, but this is basically what everyone says. This friend then tags you and a few other friends in the video post and challenges you all to also dump ice over your heads or donate $100. So, long story short, you can do something uncomfortable and ridiculous and donate LESS money to a worthy cause. Yes, I see why all of the lemmings are following through with this. [sarcasm] If I am challenged, I will decline, and here is why.
I prefer to donate to charities without fanfare. It is super easy. I just write a check and mail it, or, since it is 2014 and I have that magical Wifi thing we discussed, I go online and donate to the charity of my choice. I do this without announcing it, or giving myself hypothermia. It's amazing.
I'm no mathematician. My husband will back me up on this as he sees my monthly Amazon purchases. My degree is in English for a reason. Even I know that $100 is GREATER than $10. So, if you want to be a cheapskate, pour a bucket of ice water over your head. If you want to make a more substantial donation, say no and send in $100.
Why in the world are we wasting all of this water? There is a drought in California. There are parts of the world without clean drinking water. WHY would you dump a perfectly good bucket of water over your head in the name of "raising awareness?"
Speaking of raising awareness, I think there are better ways to do this. ALS was first discovered in 1869. So, it's been around longer than the Internet. Most people know about it. If you want to raise awareness, use the Internet to share literature or videos about ALS. For me, seeing a video of someone with ALS and hearing their family talk about it would make me want to send money immediately. Seeing some doofus shower in ICE water to "raise awareness" makes my eyebrows clench.
I'm not the queen of the world. I don't make rules, and I can't tell you what to do. To me, it just makes more sense to send in the $100 and forgo putting on a show. You would actually be donating more money, you wouldn't be wasting water, and you would be ending the latest viral trend. If you would like to donate to ALS, click this link. If you want to donate to another cause, Google the cause with the word donate. That is how I found the ALS link.