Yesterday, I was tagged in a fun video of two of my favorite-ist colleagues taking the ice bucket challenge and offering up my name in return. I’m sure like most of you, your social media newsfeeds have been overwhelmed by friends (and their kids), family or famous people dumping ice water on their heads and sending the dare to a list of others. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
I got the notification on my phone yesterday as I was driving home from a very early day at work (my second day in a row of very early days at work), and felt a twinge of, “Please, God, not me…” That twinge was followed by an enormous bucket of ice-cold guilt.
Am I a cold, heartless soul who just can’t bear to just do the thing? Maybe the challenge has “jumped the shark” for me. Maybe I’ve seen one too many videos of people going on camera to steal a cold moment for themselves, rather than for the cause they’re supporting (and let me preface this by saying that my two favorite-est colleagues did not fit within that category). Maybe it’s just the early mornings and long days that have gotten to me and stolen all sense of compassion.
So I decided to sleep on it. After all, I had 24 hours from approximately 4:53 pm EST on Tuesday.
But I woke up this morning with the same feelings of guilt or betrayal. And I think I’ve figured out why. Bear with me.
For several years I served on a local non-profit board, and got more than I bargained for in terms of learning about how these important organizations work to maintain their business. I saw first-hand the struggle to keep their doors open. To retain healthy leadership. To maintain grant funding (which was particularly difficult during the financial crisis and Charlotte-area United Way debacle of 2008). Some of these organizations work to support things that everyone knows are important: food pantries, sick children, animals, the environment, and a host of others. There’s no shortage of good causes in our community. But the organization I served (Center for Community Transitions) struggled (and still does) to keep their doors open. We served people who had just been released from jail, supporting their transition to employment, education, or just back into their families. Though really important to our community, this organization isn’t at the top of most people’s list of things they want to publicly be proud of. But it remains a vital piece to the livelihood of so many, and it directly affects our community. It was a shame to see them struggle, particularly when I flipped through our community magazine to see so many local non-profits land donations at lovely galas or community events.
Back to the ice bucket thing.
Please don’t get me wrong. I think our communal support of groups like the ALSA is really important, as we need to (as a larger society) discover new treatments and breakthroughs about Lou Gehrig’s disease (along with a laundry list of others). In fact, this ice bucket chain of events has landed this important organization more money than they ever anticipated. Our nation should be proud of this accomplishment, because those the ALSA serve are certainly worth every effort and cube of ice.
Here’ s the thing: I guess I’d rather my support stay within the confines of the people I see on the sidewalks, drive behind in traffic, see waiting at the bus stop, or sitting next to me at the coffee shop.
I know that so many of these local groups would love to have coined the phrase, “Ice Bucket Challenge.” But they didn’t. Perhaps they were too busy trying to keep their doors open and help those they serve.
So here I am, 3:24pm and trying to figure out where my ice bucket boycott will land me.
Here’s what I’ve decided. I’m taking on the challenge of my two favorite-est colleagues, and I’m going to donate to some local non-profits in their honor. Amy and Greg are two of the best people anyone could work beside (and they work hard to ensure that our students can enroll and graduate successfully from CPCC). I’d like to take this opportunity to accept their challenge and meet their demands. But I’m not going to dump icy water on me. And (gasp) I’m not going to donate to ALSA.
Amy is a proud mama to two fine chaps. She prides herself on being a fun-loving parent and offering her kids the best opportunities at a happy, healthy childhood. In her honor, I’m donating to Charlotte’s A Child’s Place. This organization works with homeless children and ensures they have the needed supplies and support to go to school and have a healthy meal. They are incredibly important to a growing number of children in our community.
Greg is a kind, compassionate, fun guy who loves his family. But like so many of us, Greg and his family have been affected by the atrocities of cancer. Many of us have our own personal experiences with this horrible disease, and my friend Greg has lived through the burdens of this disease more times than his fair share. In his honor, I’m donating to Camp Care (Cancer Ain’t Really the End), a local organization that provides a weeklong summer camp and year-round activities to children who have or have had cancer in the Charlotte area. A friend (and fellow cancer survivor) was a camp counselor there this year, and through her, I was able to see the impact they made.
I hope this is just as good as ice in a bucket.
I hope you forgive me for participating differently.
And I’m not going to call you by name, but I hope, if you’re so moved, that you find a local organization who is making an impact and choose to support them. Even if it’s not a sexy choice. Even if it helps support people who’ve made some tough decisions in their lives. Even if they still struggle day-to-day.
And if you choose to grab hold of the ice bucket fun, know that I’m probably going to watch, and I’m likely to laugh at you as you squeal from your lawn chair with your kids pointing at you in the background. That will never get old.
But I think I’ve emptied my guilty bucket by doing things a little differently.
Jump in. The water’s fine.
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