An infectious fundraising pitch has helped throw cold water on the notion that politicians today just don’t care about anything.
The social media-dominating “Ice Bucket Challenge,” a call to arms originally issued by Beverly, Massachusetts native and baseball star Pete Frates, has struck a chord with supporters ranging from sports team mascots to American political royalty.
Fans of Frates, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — the nerve-wracking malady better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease — in spring 2012, have fallen in line behind an awareness raising effort that includes: 1) recording a video wherein ice cold water is dumped on one’s head, 2) contributing $100 to further ALS research (instead of taking the ice bath) and 3) nominating friends/family/acquaintances to do the same within 24 hours.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., appears to have been one of the earliest adopters of the shocking exercise (he got doused on June 30).