When AV Nation challenged Commercial Integrator last week to do the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge as a way to continue raising awareness for this debilitating disease, I had a feeling my attempt to avoid getting doused with icy water was about to become futile.
Sure, Tom LeBlanc is the editor-in-chief, but he happens to be away on vacation this week and I didn’t figure it was worth contacting him about it. Then again, maybe a bucket of ice water was just what he would’ve needed to cool off after a long day in a tropical paradise.
But, after some initial hemming and hawing and discussion among the staff about simply making a donation to the ALS Association rather than donating money plus dumping a bucket of ice water on my head, I decided to go all-out for the cause, as so many in this industry and many others had done already.
As I was preparing for my ice bath, I kept flashing back to a conversation I had a few years ago with Mark Coxon about CI putting up a charity dunk tank at InfoComm and other trade shows, where those who didn’t agree with his opinions could donate money to some charity—I think we had talked about it going to the NSCA Education Foundation—for the right to immerse Mark in a pool of water by throwing a ball at a target, like you often see at carnivals.
While that never happened, maybe someone who knows Pete Frates—or someone who knows someone who knows him—heard our conversation and hatched the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which has now raised more than $100 million for the cause since it went viral a couple of months ago.
Either way, here’s the final result of my chilly late-morning bath:
Truth be told, the ice water wasn’t nearly as cold as I expected it to be, and this is by no means a complaint. And, now, the deed is officially done, and I’ve passed the challenge on to the 40 CI Influencers Under 40, InfoComm International and the National Systems Contractor Association. Here’s hoping each of these groups will continue the fight to end ALS, not only by submerging themselves in frigid H2O but also by donating to the ALS Association.
Now, it’s time to get back to offering up hot takes on the integration world. Maybe that’ll warm me up!
