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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, August 22, 2014 | 6 They say it takes a village to raise a child and now we have learned it takes a bucket of ice water to raise millions of dollars. The #ALSIceBucketChallenge has taken social media by storm with celebrities, politicians (even former U.S. presidents), business professionals, ALS patients and just plain old folks wanting to do something good -- if not a little crazy -- for a most awful disease. We suspect the ALS Societies had no idea just how successful this fundraising campaign would become. Judging by the number of exuberant participants so far, the Ice Bucket Challenge shows no signs of slowing down. According to ALS Canada, this viral phenomenon started south of the border by the Frates family. Make a donation to ALS or pour a bucket of ice water over your head. That was the early start to the premise. It morphed into participants getting drenched, challenging others and making a donation. The popular fundraiser has since jetted ALS into the global spotlight. So, if it takes thousands of buckets of chilly water to raise awareness and money, then go for it. Currently, 1,000 people each year will be diagnosed with this agonizingly dif cult disease. For those of you who don't know about ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, it is a neuro-degenerative disease, characterized by rapidly progressive muscle weakness that causes paralysis of the body's most basic functions from mobility to communication and, eventually, breathing. ALS is often called Lou Gehrig's disease, after the famous baseball player who was diagnosed with it. It belongs to a group of disorders known as motor neuron diseases. The average lifespan after diagnosis is two to ve years, which means 1,000 people will die every year because of ALS. At present, there is no cure or effective treatment. ALS Canada says the money raised will provide much-needed support services for clients and families living with the disease and fund the national ALS Research Program. Unlike the Ice Bucket Challenge, ALS has been around for years and those diagnosed with the disease, plus their family members and caregivers, have worked hard to get the message out about the need for research dollars. In Burlington, longtime ALS advocate Elizabeth Grandbois was very public about her diagnosis, generating $2.7 million through her Concert of Hope series that ran 1999-2010. Oakville's Tim Robertson has also done so much to bring this disease to the fore -- long before ice buckets became a fad. Last Friday, the gutsy Robertson and his wife took the ice bucket challenge -- this, in addition to his family organizing raising awareness through various fundraisers. Halton Hills doctor Jeff Sutherland -- diagnosed with the disease seven years ago -- organized the Georgetown Walk for ALS in 2009. He has now been robbed of his ability to move. We owe it to Grandbois, Robertson, Sutherland and all the other individuals facing this awful disease to continue our support long after the last of the ice buckets have been put away. It took a bucket... Editorial "Connected to your Community" Letter to the Editor 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 52 | Number 101 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Ray, a German shepherd Labrador cross, is ready for the Oakville and Milton Humane Society's Mutt Strutt and Fall Fair, as evidenced by his fancy footwear. Proceeds from the fundraising walk bene t the non-pro t animal rescue organization. | submitted photo Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Ray laces up for Mutt Strutt You'll remember Ray from an article published in the Oakville Beaver last October. Ray, our 75-lb., German shepherd Labrador cross, was unable to participate in the 2013 instalment of the Oakville and Milton Humane Society fundraiser "Mutt Strutt" because he was undergoing heartworm treatment. With a clean bill of health, Ray is excited to participate in the fundraising walk this year. We are not asking you to sponsor him, but thought you might like to see a photo of Ray, laced up and ready to go. However, should you want to sponsor Ray, feel free to make a pledge at http://bit. ly/1pAnjhn. Colin Chappell Oakville Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association ··· The ninth annual Oakville Mutt Strutt and Fall Fair is slated for Sunday, Sept. 7 from noon-3 p.m. at Cornwall Road Park. The event will kick off with a pledged vekilometre `strutt' through old Oakville, followed by a half-kilometre `stroll' around the 425 Cornwall Rd. park. Following the `strutt' and `stroll', the Fall Fair portion of the event will begin. It will feature an agility demonstration by Team K9, Fun Dog Show and silent auction. Proceeds will help fund the Humane Society's ongoing efforts to protect, care and nd loving `forever' homes to the area's homeless, abused and neglected animals. For more on the upcoming Mutt Strutt and Fall Fair, visit www.oakvillebeaver.com. Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5040 Mainway, Burlington ON L7L 7G5 or via e-mail to; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.