After more than a decade, the Ice Bucket Challenge is back in full force after its initial craze, raising funds for ALS research (ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). The challenge was started by Pete Frates, Pat Quinn, and Anthony Senerchia, this time however, the challenge is drawing awareness to mental health – revived by the Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club at University of South Carolina.
The USC Ice Bucket Challenge kicked off with Wade Jefferson – a USC junior and the founder of the MIND club – posting the first video on Instagram (linked below), on March 31, taking the challenge and reforming it for this generation to bring awareness to mental health.
MIND’s mission statement says, “MIND is a community dedicated to destigmatizing mental health discussions and fostering support on our campus. We believe in the power of open dialogue, daily mindfulness, and suicide prevention.”
The challenge caught fire quickly throughout the USC campus – spreading online. The chain reactions of nominations eventually made the challenge local, students from Mount Rainier High School, Highline High School (and college), as well as Kennedy Catholic and Tahoma High School, getting nominated to do the challenge and speak their MIND.
Jefferson founded the MIND club after losing two friends to suicide, and according to NBC News, said the campaign aims to normalize conversations around mental health and make them more accessible. The challenge also raises funds for Active Minds, a Washington D.C. based nonprofit with the same mission as the MIND club – change the stigma surrounding mental health.
As of Thursday, May 1, the challenge has raised $405,252 dollars for their cause, the participants ranging from students, to educators, to parents, to celebrities; the most notable among them so far being former NFL players Peyton Manning and Emmanuel Sanders, and other social media influencers like James Charles and Haley Baylee.
NBC news says that, “Jefferson was shocked by how widely the social media trend gained traction, having initially set a modest fundraising goal of $500 while expecting it to remain confined to the USC campus. He said witnessing its viral popularity has been surreal for the students involved.”
The ALS association, who originally started the challenge and benefited from the 2014 donations has commented and shown their support for the new challenge and all of the efforts being made towards the cause.
“We’re thrilled to see the spirit of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge live on in new forms of activism,” the ALS Association said in a statement to NBC News.
Brett Curtis, the director of community fundraising and events at Active Minds says that, “Donations were always secondary, this was a chance for us to support a group of students, and that’s always been our mission. And I’m just excited to see it keep going for as long as it does.”
Currently at just over $400,000, Active Minds has an end goal of $500,000 – which is 1,000 times greater than their original goal of $500. Active Minds uses the money donated to directly reach more than 1.9 million people each year through awareness campaigns, events, advocacy, outreach, and more – your support will save lives.