Dozens of Westerville City Schools Transportation employees accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in a big way on Friday, August 22. During their lunch break, the group gathered in a parking lot at Westerville North High School where the Westerville Fire Department soaked them with cold water from a fire truck. Bob Lynde, Director of Purchasing & Logistics, challenged transportation departments in other school districts to participate.
As of Tuesday, August 26, the ALS Association had received $88.5 million in donations compared to $2.6 million during the same time period last year (July 29 to August 26). The massive increase in contributions is being attributed to the Ice Bucket Challenge, which has spread throughout the country.
ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. There is no cure and only one drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that modestly extends survival.