Photo by Neidy Gutierrez / SOC Images.
Is it the summer of 2014 again?
Remember that crisp, cool air on a warm sunny day as you scroll along social media and noticed a challenge going around? Children, parents, celebrities, politicians—anyone with a phone saw millions of people participating in the “Ice Bucket Challenge.”
But what exactly was the “Ice Bucket Challenge” all about?
A decade ago, the Ice Bucket Challenge was started to raise awareness for ALS, which stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. It leads to muscle weakness, paralysis, and eventually, loss of the ability to breathe, speak and move. ALS is a fatal disease with no cure, but treatments can help manage symptoms and improve quality of life.
Locals from Hudson County participated in the challenge from 2014, like Jimmy Franco, from West New York, who was 11 years old when he did the ice bucket challenge alongside his then seven-year-old sister in their apartment in Guttenberg.
“We did it because it was a major trend during 2014. Vine and [I don’t know] if Musically was around, but it was the highlight for literally the entire summer of 2014 and I had to do it because I’ve never felt how cold water can be and we wanted to be apart of the trend.”
Franco says it’s good to see the ice bucket challenge come back because “it was once a fun trend,” but it serves a good purpose in raising mental health awareness.
The challenge started off when three young men living with ALS, Anthony Senerchia, Pete Frates and Pat Quinn, took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and launched a global phenomenon that changed the fight against ALS forever.
Over 17 million people worldwide were dumping buckets of water on themselves in very creative ways. It jumpstarted a social media frenzy but with more awareness for the disease than ever before.
Senerchia was diagnosed with ALS in 2003 when he was 32 years old. He wondered if there would ever be a cure or if there was anyone, hopefully, in the works of it. His wife’s cousin Chris Kennedy, a professional golfer, challenged her to take part in the challenge. It is believed that Kennedy was the first to partake in dumping ice cold water over his head in the name of ALS.
Senerchia’s wife, Jeannette, then filmed herself pouring water on herself as well and then challenged a couple of her friends to do it and it took off in their town. Pat Quinn and Pete Frates connected over social media after both being diagnosed at the ages of 30 and 27. Frates’ family did eveything in their power to spread the word with liking, sharing and reposting.
Now, ten years later, it’s resurged once again, and Hussein Abdelmaksoud, the girls’ basketball coach from Memorial High School in West New York, said he remembers doing it a decade ago and recently recorded himself with the girls’ basketball team, pouring ice water all over his head.
“Yeah, I definitely remember the Ice Bucket Challenge! What stands out most to me was how quickly it went viral on the internet with celebrities, friends, family and everyone else dumping ice water on each other’s heads. But more than anything, I remember how it brought awareness to ALS. It was something that brought people closer together.”
The basketball coach shared that doing it this time around felt odd, but he felt great about it.
“Back in 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge brought lots of attention to ALS, and now to see it with the different generation is pretty special and also a positive way to spread awareness by using our voices and talking about mental health with our loved ones and people all over the world.”
Hussein Abdelmaksoud on the return of the Ice Bucket Challenge.
The challenge returned on March 31 when members of the MIND (Mental Illness Needs Discussion) club at the University of South Carolina rebooted the challenge with the hashtag #SpeakYourMIND.
They wanted to encourage people to speak on mental health and raise money for Active Minds, an organization that focuses on youth and mental health, especially after losing friends to suicide.
So far, the cause has raised almost half a million dollars at the time of this writing.
Professor Joshua Feinberg, Associate Professor of Psychology at Saint Peters University, shared with Slice of Culture how he viewed the trend that’s become popular again.
“Although I am not on social media much, it was so ubiquitous [everywhere] that I couldn’t help but to see some of the videos. I thought it was great. Although many people who participated in it probably just did so to follow the trend, even if it led to marginal increases in awareness and fundraising, it was well worth it.”
Although challenges like these can help bring awareness to causes such as mental health, Feinberg wishes these challenges promoted more action.
“I wish there was a greater connection between the acts/videos and more concrete steps people could take to help raise funds. Again, I believe it does help to a marginal degree,” Feinberg added.
“I think a lot of people walk away just to notice the humor of the challenge rather than the message behind it. I wonder if the challenge incorporated volunteerism. For example, what if you did the ice bucket challenge while volunteering? Or just after you donate money, then you get ice dumped on you. My son did this recent challenge, which was fun, but he just did it goofing around with friends. Of course, he already has a high level of mental health awareness.”
Hussein added how the challenge is more than dumping ice, also “giving hope.”
“Today, mental health matters more than ever so The Speak Your Mind Challenge isn’t just about pouring ice, it’s about engaging in conversations and showing people that it is okay to speak up, talk to others, and ask for help. It’s simply giving hope to those who don’t have hope and assure those who need help that they have the support they need all across the country,” he added.
As Mental Health Awareness Month continues to be celebrated throughout May, here’s where you can donate in support of mental health and ALS:
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health or a crisis, call or text 988 to access free support through the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline.
