Reif accepts ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, invites community to join him
Reif accepts ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, invites community to join him
MIT President L. Rafael Reif plans to be doused with icy water on Killian Court today at 11 a.m. He was challenged by Harvard President Drew G. Faust and MIT’s Edgerton Center, according to MIT’s official Tumblr page.
Those challenges are part of the viral social media trend known as the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which has raised awareness of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, better known as Lou Gherig’s disease. The challenge, a dare to dump ice water on oneself or donate $100 to the ALS Association, has raised more than $41.8 million for that organization, according to The New York Times.
Reif has asked the MIT community to help him participate by supplying a “contraption to tip [his five-gallon] bucket” of ice water onto him. He said in a statement that “if multiple contraptions get built, [he’ll] seek volunteers to use them,” but that extra buckets will be available regardless.
Reif plans to make a donation to the ALS Association in addition to being doused with water.
—William Navarre