DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARIAN MODIFIES ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE

 

At the first September meeting of the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club, Jan Parsons modified the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge process by challenging her Rotary club members to douse both her and fellow Rotarian Kevin Cahill in exchange for donations to the ALS Association.  Jan had been challenged recently by a friend who had had four family members and friends die from ALS. This touched Jan so much that it got her thinking about how to raise more money and make it fun, too.

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Jan Parsons (front left) and Kevin Cahill (front right) are shown still wet from their ALS Ice Bucket Challenge dousing.  Behind them are a few of the very dry Rotarians who had watched the dousing, (shown left to right, regardless of row) Bill Sutton, Paul Butler, Susheela Narayanan, Julie Lien, Bill Murphy, Vita Candela (in very back), Sandra Wagner, Vicky Mallett, Ildikó de Tesák, Radia Bencheikh, and Aaron Studer.

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Jan was amazed when twelve members and a visiting Rotarian at the meeting accepted her challenge.  After the drenching, she said “I was touched by the generosity of our members - the amount they gave, and the number who participated.“  Jan estimated that this single, two-minute dousing has led directly to over $1,200 going to fight ALS, with even more to be contributed through downstream challenges. 

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), often called "Lou Gehrig's Disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.  It leads to progressive muscle weakness that causes difficulty in speaking, swallowing and breathing, and, ultimately, to death. 

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary works hard to make our community and the world better for others.  Members gain satisfaction, develop greater friendships with other members, and have fun while working on the Club’s many projects and attending club activities.  For information about DMSB Rotary, contact Paul Butler at (619) 559-3213 or via info@DMSBRotary.com, or see www.DMSBRotary.com.