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USC MIND Club Revives the Ice Bucket Challenge

May 23

Remember 2014? The ice bucket challenge flooded social media. Friends, family and famous celebrities had the chance to take the freezing dare for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) awareness. Thanks to the University of South Carolina, the same energy has returned with a new purpose.  


Photo from Unsplash
Photo from Unsplash

Starting in March, the University of South Carolina’s Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club started the #SpeakYourMIND challenge on Instagram. Their initial goal was to raise a few hundred thousand dollars to donate to Active Minds, the largest nonprofit mental health organization in the America. However, the magnitude of their impact went far beyond their expectations. The USC MIND Instagram account quickly gained 700,000 followers and raised millions of dollars for mental health awareness.


Many can relate to seeing the spread of Instagram ice bucket stories grow closer to their friend groups. Every day was filled with apprehension, wondering when the nomination would come and the 24-hour period to complete the challenge would begin. The best part was the possibility of passing the challenge to other friends and watching their reactions.


As a participant, I strongly recommend doing the challenge if you are nominated. The freezing water thrown on my face was far colder than I thought it would be, but the feeling of contributing to the cause made it worthwhile.

“I was dumped with a bucket of almost straight ice. Even being put in complete shock felt so refreshing, and I was happy I could support the mental health cause,” junior Nick Norrah said.


The USC MIND club successfully brought the ice bucket challenge back into the spotlight showing that a simple bucket of ice has the power to bring awareness for a good cause.

 



May 23

2 min read

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