Our Ice Bucket Challenge Went To The Dogs (& Cats)!

When we organized our corporate Ice Bucket Challenge at Corporate Business Solutions, we made a few changes.  Basically, everyone that was challenged was asked to make a donation, whether or not they accepted the challenge.  Those who accepted, still made a donation, but they could then challenge three other people at our workplace to participate.  Additionally, we recognized that there are many worthy charities and we left the choice of charity up to the individual donor.  All we asked was to have a donation receipt emailed, so that we could tally the total amount collected.

Supporting a ‘Pet’ Charity

Athena, who recently had adopted Akira, a four year old Australian mix, from Orphans of the Storm, used the Ice Bucket Challenge as an opportunity to ask her coworkers to sponsor her accepting the challenge on behalf of the animal shelter.  She created and distributed flyers about her ‘pet’ charity, beseeching others to donate, and then, bravely, took the ice cold shower.

While the ALS Association received the majority of the donations (a total of $1,227 was raised company-wide), other charities that benefited from our event included the American Thyroid Association and Willowcreek Community Church.  The standout, however, was Orphans of the Storm, which received more than a fourth of our fundraising efforts, $331, to purchase Kuranda beds for the rescued dogs and cats awaiting adoption.

Fun with Some Serious Results

There has been a certain amount of  media debate about the shallow nature of the Ice Bucket Challenge, but no one can challenge the results.  As of today, the Ice Bucket Challenge has led to over $100 million in donations to the ALS Association (last year, in the same time period, ALS raised less than $2 million).  This generosity will encourage scientists and researchers to pursue working towards new treatments and a possible cure for Lou Gehrig’s disease and its related genetic conditions.  We already know that it has made a difference, locally, providing nearly indestructible beds for the hundreds of animals that Orphans of the Storm serves on a yearly basis.