Before the viral video trend of drenching yourself in ice-cold water, Amyotropic lateral sclerosis or ALS was a lesser-known neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Referred to sometimes as Lou Gehrig’s disease, as many as 30,000 Americans live with the ultimately fatal illness.

“In the last two weeks, the Ice Bucket Challenge has quite literally ‘soaked’ the nation,” notes a press release from the ALS Association. “Between July 29 and Aug 12, The ALS Association and its 38 chapters have received an astonishing $4 million in donations compared to $1.12 million during the same time period last year.”

“We have never seen anything like this in the history of the disease,” said Barbara Newhouse, president and CEO of the ALS Association. “We couldn’t be more thrilled with the level of compassion, generosity and sense of humor that people are exhibiting as they take part in this impactful viral initiative.”

Since July 29, The ALS Association has welcomed more than 70,000 new donors to the cause.

Trending on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #IceBucketChallenge, one can see some of the creative ways celebrities, teams, families, companies and organizations are bringing awareness to the cause — our Kane County school districts included.

A few of the participants involved were District 300 CEO and future Superintendent Fred Heid. His team of administrators tackled the challenge in a humorous, NFL-themed video.

Along with Batavia Men’s Soccer and Batavia Women’s Volleyball, the Batavia High School administrators also took the challenge at the Batavia Corn Boil.

In District 304, Geneva High School reportedly raised $1,420.41 at the annual Geneva All Sports Booster’s corn boil with the administrators.

Did your school or district participate in the ALS challenge? Did you have a fund-raising goal? Let Kane County Connects know and we will add it to our blog.

• This article was compiled by Ellen Kamps of the Kane County Regional Office of Education. For more information, visit the Kane County ROE website.