Recently, the #ALSIceBucketChallenge has taken social media by storm, cluttering Facebook news feeds and inspiring fail compilations on YouTube. Though many have compared it to the Cinnamon Challenge and Gallon Challenge in its juvenile and pointless nature, the true cause behind the challenge has been lost behind the millions of teenage girls posting their attempts on Instagram as a not-so-subtle way to show off their “swimsuit bods”.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a serious degenerative condition of the nerve cells and spinal cord, inhibiting muscle control and ultimately leading to death. It can strike anyone, and over 30,000 Americans are living with ALS right now. Until recently, it was relatively unknown, as evidenced by the fact most people only knew of it as the condition that struck baseball hall-of-famer Lou Gehrig. The Ice Bucket challenge has raised an unprecedented $79.7 million to date, a sum that will greatly help research to find cures and treatment for the debilitating disease. The ALS Association has embraced the movement across social media, but urges those who participate to not only complete the challenge, but donate to the association and make a difference as well. RHS Echo adviser Mary Gillis has taken the challenge and donated, and the Echo staff has challenged the science department, Link Crew, and the volleyball team to do so as well.

“It’s not enough to throw ice water on your head and post a video, this is a real cause with real need behind it. This challenge is a fundraiser and should be treated as such. Donate. It’s easy to do, go to the website and give what you can afford. This fundraiser has raised unprecedented $79.9 million as of today to fund research of this debilitating disease. If getting cold and wet is not your thing, there are many other ways that you can donate listed on the website,” Gillis said.

For more information on ALS or to make a donation, visit alsa.org.