https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=As-6UK0EdY4&feature=youtu.be
Local Girl Scouts are the latest to take up a national chilly challenge.
Leaders of troops 1560 and 1436 dared their middle school members to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a campaign currently sweeping social media.
Participants in the challenge have a bucket of ice water poured on their heads, upload a video of the experience and challenge friends to do the same, all while making a donation to support the cause.
The project is intended to raise awareness for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” a progressive disease that causes nerves in the brain and spinal cord to degenerate, leading to loss of control of muscle movement and eventually paralysis.
Those completing the challenge and those shirking the shivering experience are asked to donate to the ALS Association. As of Friday, the organization had earned $51.1 million more in donations than it had in the same period of less than a month last year.
The Girl Scout troops accepted the challenge at their year’s kick-off event at the Williamsburg Community Pool. Taking the plunge were Carley Calfee, Zoe Froehlich, Hannah Kittrell, Isabella Molina, India Eklind, Kate Clauberg, Emma Clauberg and Rose Paddock.
They also took the time to learn more about the disease and the reason behind the media campaign. Parents donated to the ALS Association in their children’s honor, as well.
In the video, the girls challenge Carl Lum, president of Busch Gardens, Bruce Hornsby, musician and area native, and the other Williamsburg Girl Scouts.
For more information about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, visit the ALS Association website.
