You would have to be in the Amazon jungle to have missed the barrage of "Ice Bucket Challenges" over the past couple of weeks on Facebook and in the news. Who would have ever thought that the "challenge" to pour a bucket of ice water over your head would become viral and end up benefitting the ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) Foundation with over 31 million dollars? I have done all kinds of fundraisers and, take it from me, no "rubber chicken dinner" would ever even dream of make a small portion of that kind of money. Heck, Dave and I even "took the challenge" and donated to this very worthy cause. Granted, the ice never touched the head, we felt it was equally important to give. This really got me thinking…what prompts you to give? Do you give anonymously? Do you give out of guilt? Do you give in memory? None of these are right or wrong, just different. The Ice Bucket Challenge has brought on a new reason: its fun to give…and to help…and to laugh in the process. Having a close friend lose a mom to ALS really hit me. I still have both my parents and am truly blessed by that. Watching her lively, beautiful mom go from walking, to a walker, to a wheelchair, to bed over the course of a very short time profoundly changed her as it would any loving child. The older you get, the more disease and tragedy enters the lives of the people you hold close. If you don't know where to start or how to discern where your money is going, try this site: www.charitynavigator.org . It's nice to know how much of your money is actually being used for research and going directly to the cause. What seems like a small gift may someday cure a disease. Whatever your cause, it feels good to give. Try doing it anonymously sometime…it may change you from the inside out.
CoffeeTalkMom
P.S. This photo is of my good friend Ellie who lives with Multiple Sclerosis…I sometimes dream of her walking toward me with a big smile on her face!
