Mineral County does the ice bucket challenge

SUPERIOR – Mineral County officials came away from a recent activity cold and wet but it was all for a good cause as fifteen employees, one from every department, participated in a phenomenon sweeping the nation.

With a video camera rolling, county employees sat down in chairs on the front lawn of the county courthouse on Tuesday and were promptly doused with a bucket of ice water during the Mineral County version of the ALS ice bucket challenge.

Organized by Mineral County Probation Officer Adam Cole, the event raises money for the ALS Association and has been showing up on social media platforms in the form of a challenge. The ALS Association raises money for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

In one version, the participant is expected to donate $10 if they accept the challenge and have ice water dumped over their heads. If they decline the challenge, they are expected to donate $100.

Cole said he was impressed with how many people agreed to accept the challenge.

“I’ve been seeing this online and I thought we could contribute,” Cole said. “A colleague of mine’s father was diagnosed with ALS and that opened my eyes to what it was and it made me think we needed to do something. It was really cold but really fun and the courthouse really came together as a family.”

Another participant described the experience in a similar way. Tyler Gilder, deputy juvenile probation officer for the county said he was happy to participate for a good cause.

“I’m always up to volunteer,” Gilder said. “A couple of buddies called me out on Facebook to do it so I told them I would do it today and we got it done. It was fun. It’s good to see the community come together like that. It was cold but worth it.”

Mineral County Commissioner Laurie Johnston had other motives for participating in the ice bucket challenge. She said once the video is uploaded to YouTube, she plans on using it to challenge other counties to follow suit.

“I’m going to contact the commissioners from Ravalli County, Missoula County and Sanders County and challenge them,” Johnston said. “I had seen this on TV and Adam had it on Facebook. I thought I might do it and I figured since I was here, I would. It was cold. It was fun and I enjoyed doing it and it was for a good cause.”

According to the ALS Association website, the organization has raised $31.5 million due to the ice bucket challenge since the phenomenon began earlier this year. In the same time period last year, the organization raised $1.9 million.

The ALS Association’s stated mission is to “provide care services to assist people with ALS and their families through a network of chapters working in communities across the nation and a global research program focused on the discovery of treatments and eventually a cure for the disease.

ALS is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by weakness due to muscle atrophy, speech difficulties and trouble swallowing and breathing. There is no known cure for the disease. The cause is thought to be genetic mutation and it runs in families.