Team Members Use Ice Bucket Challenge to Make Bigger Splash

What started as a simple campaign to raise money for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) – also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease – has become one of the largest social media sensations this year. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (#IceBucketChallenge) asks people to dump ice-cold water over their head and/or donate within 24 hours of the issuance of the challenge.

As of August 27 the campaign has raised over $94 million for The ALS Association and has drawn participation from numerous celebrities.

Accepting the Ice Bucket Challenge

Many of our team members at GVC Mortgage, Inc. were challenged individually over the past few weeks, but because the strength of a team far outweighs that of an individual, we decided to invite team members who had not been challenged to help us respond as a company. We asked all of our team members to give money, and then our owners would match the amount gifted.

Creating a bigger splash

After accepting the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge we were brainstorming creative ways to film the video when it hit us, the day before filming we decided to make a bigger splash by donating to the ALS Association in addition to giving to a smaller, local cause—scrapping the video altogether.

Within a couple of days we raised $385, making the total amount raised after the match $770. We split the donation 50/50. Half was given to the ALS Association while the other half was gifted to Outfitters, a local cause near and dear to many of our team members’ hearts. Outfitters is a non-profit organization located in Pendleton, IN that provides new and quality used clothing to low income school-aged children free of charge.

Issuing a new kind of challenge

We are not challenging our neighbors to dump a bucket of water over their heads. Instead, we are challenging all individuals and businesses to band together and help more than one organization.

Dump your first bucket of water on the ALS fire and use the melted ice to put out another causes’ fire you care about. By working together, and giving to more than one organization, we might be able to help make the world a better place for future generations.

How big of a splash will you make?