My husband and I finally got swept up in the slightly-crazed (but it’s for a good cause!) ALS Ice Bucket Challenge tonight. He was challenged by a good friend, and of course, there was no hesitation about donating monetarily to the charity. For those that have yet to make their donation to this cause, you can go to their link here:
Surprisingly, my husband had only recently heard about this challenge (no, he hasn’t been cut off from society lately, so I have no idea how he wasn’t aware that Jennifer Aniston has just made “THE most ADORABLE challenge video EVER” or that Charlie Sheen was one of the coolest celebs to pour money instead of ice water on his head.) After explaining the whole concept of the challenge to him in a bit more detail, our dilemma was about (1) dumping perfectly good water on each other’s heads (we’re with you on that one, Charlie), (2) filming each other (why bother if we weren’t going to dump water on each other’s heads?) and (3) coming up with an alternative to dumping water on each other’s heads that wouldn’t make it seem like we were just being slackers to the cause, choosing instead to buy our way out of all the “fun” everyone else was seemingly having.
To be honest, it really didn’t take long to come up with an alternate plan of action. For the most part, we’ve followed the challenge as others have – my husband challenged 3 other people (one being me), and I then followed suit. We chose not to film ourselves carrying out the challenge, though, because we decided to go back to the origins of the challenge, and unless you really want to see us writing out the cheques …
After a little bit of research, it appears the whole ice bucket challenge was initially meant to be carried out in the following way: someone is challenged to dump ice water on themselves, or jump in a frigid lake, or something to that effect. If they fail to carry out the challenge (or decline to do so) they are then required to donate to a charity. Somehow things have morphed into the present day version of the ALS challenge, whereby people are being doused and donating … if that’s your choice, good on you.
This is where my husband and I decided we would return to the origins of the challenge. Skip the dumping of the water – not necessarily because it’s a huge waste of water, but, well, actually it is a waste. Enough people have done it, and Jennifer has already cornered the market on most adorable video EVER, so … no one needs to see more footage of 2 more middle-aged adults squealing like children or stoically having fun as their partner soaks them, all for a great cause! We’ll leave that for the millennials …
Having dealt with dilemmas (1) and (2), only number (3) remained, and a quick search of the internet solved that one. We found a great charity that ties in with our desire not to waste water: The Water Project. You can read more about this organization by clicking on their link here:
Their mission is to bring relief to communities around the world who suffer needlessly from a lack of access to clean water and proper sanitation. By saving a little bit of clean water here at home by not dumping ice water on each other, and by bringing clean water to those that so desperately need it across the world through a donation to this charity, my husband and I found a way to meet the overall challenge that was issued to us that resonated with our principles. We were able to not only offer up a gift that meets the needs of the recipients, but is also reflective of our characters as givers, and that, in my opinion, makes these donations truly from the heart.
Please consider making your own donation to either, or both, of these charities, or to a charity that is meaningful to you.