SA #IceBucketChallengers splash out from Sandton to Byron Bay
While some South Africans have taken to tipping a bucket of sand over their heads in the ever-evolving #IceBucketChallenge (known by them as the #DirtBucketChallenge), others have created challenges with a twist that require less cleaning up afterwards! Award-winning South African author, Marie Williams, who lives in Australia stepped into the ocean in Byron Bay […]
While some South Africans have taken to tipping a bucket of sand over their heads in the ever-evolving #IceBucketChallenge (known by them as the #DirtBucketChallenge), others have created challenges with a twist that require less cleaning up afterwards!
Award-winning South African author, Marie Williams, who lives in Australia stepped into the ocean in Byron Bay for her challenge. Raising money for a neurological disease is a cause close to her heart.
Marie’s beautifully written memoir ‘Green Vanilla Tea‘ tells the heartbreaking but uplifting story of the love and loss of her 40-year-old husband to a debilitating illness.
“I’m doing this in honour of my husband,” she says. “He was a guy who loved the beach – enjoyed a good bodysurf with our two boys and splashed me mercilessly if I tried to get into the ocean slowly! And he did a lot of work in developing countries where water is scarce. Seems fitting to remember him by the sea. So, I’m joining in the community with all those affected by #MND #ALS, here goes…!”
#MND and #ALS are abbreviations for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Motor Neurone Disease respectively.
And while Marie had seawater poured over her, the team at the Balalaika Hotel in Sandton made an even bigger splash plunging one-by-one into their ice-laden swimming pool.
It was the first day of Spring and to celebrate – while raising money at the same time – each staff member jumped (willingly!) into the pool, which had been filled with ice, whilst dressed in their suits and uniforms!
Each employee sponsored R100 towards the International Alliance of #ALS/#MND Associates…and the Balalaika matched whatever was raised on the day…donating a total of R5,000 to ALS.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Protea Hotel Balalaika, Sandton, South Africa
The jump itself takes place from about 1:35. The Balalaika in turn challenged the Bull Run Restaurant, the Protea Hotel Centurion and ANY other Sandton hotel.
South African Author Marie Williams’ #IceBucketChallenge in Byron Bay, Australia
P.S. ALS Association addresses those controversial reports…
ALS/MND is is a neurological disease that affects over 400,000 of the world’s population and kills over 100,000 people every year. The #IceBucketChallenge has raised much needed funds and awareness. As of today, September 4, they have received $108.4 million in Ice Bucket Challenge donations!
On 30 August, the ALS Association addressed the controversial reports that have been made about them regarding issues like how much of the donations goes to research; and debunked a fake news article that went viral.
There is an article circulating the internet that is filled with half-truths and misinformation,” the ALS says in a statement. “It is posted on a website called “Political Ears,” which is listed as a “satire website” here. Unfortunately, people are reading this article as fact. The ALS Association has received numerous phone calls from concerned people asking about information in the article even though it was recently debunked on Snopes.com, a website dedicated to exposing rumors and internet falsehoods.
The ALS Association has addressed each point in this fictional piece on their website – read more here.
For the killjoys…
For the killjoys who said that people should donate without doing the challenge, Suzanne Litthauer wrote on SAPeople’s Facebook page “I demand an end to all fun runs, bake sales and charity concerts, as we should all just send money. Heaven forbid we have any fun, create any sense of community or spread any awareness.”
The challenge has evolved and while some people are now doing the #IceBucketChallenge for other organisations that perhaps mean more to them (and that is brilliant!), there are those who are choosing to still do it for #MND/#ALS, particularly in South Africa where former Springbok player Joost van der Westhuizen suffers from the condition.
Perhaps this is because the increased awareness of MND/ALS has meant people have gained an increased compassion for the impact it has on people and their loved ones.
“Perhaps we are all tasked with growing and understanding in our own ways: maybe learning one new thing we didn’t know before; finding personal meaning in painful places; thinking about the ways in which we interact with people who live with all kinds of disabilities; maybe checking out facts from various websites or reading good stories…” says Marie.