Fergus Fall Fair Ambassador Krista Fraser is one of the latest participants to complete the ALS ice bucket challenge – taking the plunge at her family’s farm on Aug. 20.
Fraser was nominated by her friend Jackie Maciukiewicz and said she knew it was going to be cold, but she was up for the challenge. She also decided to put her own spin on it by filling the bucket of a front-end loader with water and ice.
“Jackie told me that because I live on a farm, that it had to be extravagant,” Fraser said. “So I decided that (since) our theme for the fair is Tractors and Tailgates, what better way to do it than to use a tractor.”
The popular challenge that went viral earlier this summer is a fundraiser for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Once nominated, participants have 24 hours to make a donation to the ALS foundation or post a video on social media of them getting doused with a bucket of ice water. They may then challenge three others to do the same.
Since its inception, the challenge has been undertaken by numerous celebrities, including: Jimmy Fallon, Will Smith, Tom Cruise and Bill Gates.
As of Aug. 26, donation totals had reached over $70 million, far surpassing last year’s total of $1.9 million during the same period. The organization estimates there have been 637, 527 new donors as a result.
Fraser has nominated Vanessa Kropf, Johnny Van Grinsven, Cody Bates, 2014/15 Ambassador of the Fairs Jodie Hooker, and all of the women in District 7 of the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies (OAAS).
Fraser posted a video of her taking the challenge on her Facebook page and says for every “like,” she will donate $0.25 to the ALS Association.
Ashley Teeter has organized a successful walk for ALS in Wellington-North Walk for the past five years. She decided to take action and raise awareness for the disease in small communities after her father was diagnosed and passed away. Since the last Wellington-North Walk for ALS was held in July, Teeter is thrilled to see the success of the ice bucket challenge. She says she comes home every night and spends 20 minutes watching the latest videos being streamed online.
“The emotions I feel are indescribable. My family has been exposed to ALS for six years now and in those years I’ve been hoping, praying and wishing on a miracle and as silly as this sounds, I think it could be here,” she says.
Teeter says even though some people who have participated in the challenge are doing it for “social media status,” it has still provided huge exposure for ALS.
“You can’t raise money for a cause that no one knows about, and awareness for this disease is in high demand and it has finally started surfacing,” she says. “On behalf of my family and many others whose lives have been affected by ALS, it simply is amazing, keep it coming.”
The organization says they will use donations to provide services to those with ALS and to initiate 21 new research projects.
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