August 25, 2014 at 5:59 p.m.
Viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge reaches Rhinelander
Viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge reaches Rhinelander
Hundreds of celebrities have taken part including the likes of Justin Timberlake, Brett Favre, Michael Jordan, Taylor Swift and many, many more.
The videos are short, usually less than a minute long, and each ends with the subject doused with freezing water, but the results have been undeniable.
The icy challenge has swept across country in the name of raising money for Amyotropic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research. Also knows as Lou Gehrig's Disease, ALS has no cure.
Latest reports have estimated the viral video fundraising movement has raised north of $41 million, far surpassing average donation totals.
While Internet challenge videos certainly aren't new, never before have they spotlighted a cause like this with such success.
Now, the ice bucket challenge has officially made it's way to the Northwoods. Early last week, Kurt Hildebrand, owner of Carpetiers in downtown Rhinelander, was challenged by a friend from Oshkosh. Never one to back down from a challenge, Hildebrand said he was happy to step up and challenge a few of his colleagues as well.
"I thought it was funny when I got the call," he said. "It's for a really great cause though. I'm happy to donate for ALS research. I think it's really cool that so many celebrities and normal people like me are coming together to try to find a cure to this thing. Social media is pretty amazing sometimes."
Hildebrand didn't complete the challenge within the 24-hour time limit, meaning he was technically required to donate, but he said he was happy to put $100 toward the cause.
Just before he was doused with the bucket of ice water, Hildebrand passed on the challenge to a few of his Downtown Rhinelander Inc. friends, president Mark Gutteter, executive director Maggie Steffen and Ray Burgan.
Hildebrand said he thought they'd be the perfect group to challenge.
"They're my neighbors here in the downtown area," he said. "It's a great cause and I knew the DRI group would be excited to get involved."
While he was excited to contribute initially, the look on his face after the large bucket of icy water soaked him through was visibly shocked.
"It was awfully cold," he said. "It was much colder than I though. It gets the blood pumping."
Now it seems everyone is getting involved. Facebook pages are clogged with video after video and it all adds up to more donations and more awareness about ALS.
Rhinelander native Jenna Nehls said she was recently challenged and was happy to do her part.
"The ice water was really cold," she said. "I was anxious, but excited to take on the ice water challenge. My brother was nominated as well so we did it together. We made it a family event and are all donating to the ALS Association online website. I think that the ALS challenge really did a great job raising funds and awareness for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It was a fun way for friends and family to get a good laugh dumping ice water over one another and to give to the ALS association to help medical research."
For her, and many others across the country, the challenge was more than a fun way to raise money for charity. It's helped educate people about the disease and that's important as well.
"I knew that ALS was a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain, but I didn't realize that the cause for ALS is not completely understood and that approximately 5,600 people are diagnosed with ALS in the United States each year," Nehls said.
The fact that so many celebrities have embraced the challenge is what has catapulted it into such a national phenomenon. It's resulted in thousands of links and shares between friends. Nehls said her favorite so far came from a former Green Bay Packer.
"I thought it was awesome that the celebrities took on the ice water challenge as well, this challenge really spread fast and went viral over the Internet," she said. "I especially enjoyed watching Donald Driver's challenge video."
Now that Hildebrand has passed the buck to Gutteter, Burgan and Steffen, the ball is in their court. Where the challenge goes from there is yet to be seen, but one thing is guaranteed. It's one step closer to understanding and ultimately finding a cure for ALS.
Andy Hildebrand may be reached at [email protected].
Editor's note: Full disclosure, River News reporter Andy Hildebrand is Kurt Hildebrand's son.
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