Ice-Bucket Challenge - why I won't do it
Blasphemy! You are no fun and not taking part in something that can change lives and make a difference to so many other people!
Look, I am prepared to piss people off with this view. I understand what the challenge is for. If you don't you can find out more about ALS or Motor Neurone Disease here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Motor-neurone-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx
If you want to give to the wonderful charities that are looking for a cure and helping support those with the disease there is a list of places to do so at this article: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/how-to-donate-to-als-no-ice-bucket-challenge-necessary-to-help-motor-neurone-disease-charities-9690499.html
Also, as an aside, Macmillan are also getting people to do the ice-bucket thing and their link can also be found in the article above.
Now why won't I participate? Well, it feels as though the hype of the challenge has outweighed the enormity of the cause. It feels forced and the general feeling that if you do not take part you are a spoilsport is there to guilt trip those that do not wish to participate.
I am all for charitable giving. I for one donate each month to two charities, WWF and British Legion (you can do so by clicking on the hyperlinks for their names). These are charities close to my heart. I donate to the WWF because I have a passion for Pandas (and I also adopted a penguin for my penguin loving fiancé) and I would like to see the preservation of their habitat and the continuation of this species. It is my own, possibly pathetic, attempt to give something back to the planet on which I briefly reside. I give to the British Legion for personal reasons and I have mentioned them before, but I will do so again.
My Mum's Dad was conscripted at 18 to fight for the British Army in WWII. He was a logistics driver which means he drove weapons, troops and supplies to dangerous areas on the Eastern Front and Western Front. He saw his friends and colleagues blown up by mines and gunfire and he survived. His youngest brother joined up through conscription at 18 shortly before the end of the war and was sadly killed. My Grandfather had to deal with losing a beloved sibling at such a young age. After the war he was given the chance to discharge but decided to stay on and was sent as part of the peace keeping force to Greece which was in the midst of civil war. There, my Grandfather was held hostage for six months before being returned to the British at the end of the war. Instead of loathing every minute, my Grandfather loved his captivity in Greece. He learned to speak fluent Greek and was taken on sightseeing trips where his captors could take him. The trouble began when he returned home.
My Grandfather loved his family, his wife (my Nan who he met after leaving the army), his daughters and son. Yet he could never quite settle in the civilian world and needed some help from the British Legion to do so. Later in his life the Legion helped to advise and provide some care for him in his own home and when the time came for him to pass on they supported my Nan with the funeral arrangements.
This level of support that my family has received has made me very grateful for that charity and all the work they do. When I looked into everything that the Legion does to support veterans of war today I was blown away. They deserve more recognition than simply the wearing of a poppy once a year. That is why, starting tomorrow, I will be wearing one of my poppy brooches every day and everywhere I go. The coverage of the 100 years since the start of the Great War (or some of you will know it as WWI) will surely help to raise the profile of this wonderful charity even more.
As you can see, I have a real passion for this charity. I give what I can each month and have a direct debit set up to do this indefinitely, I donate an extra large sum in November for 11 November and I look forward to finding a place to buy a poppy and wear it with pride when I do so.
This is my act of charity and is not a one off event. It is something I want to do. I tell you this in contrast to the publicity of the ice-bucket challenge. This is my act of charity and I don't do it because I am compelled to do so by a Facebook notification, I do so because I believe in supporting a cause close to my heart.
I have been waiting and dreading the nomination for the challenge and had this blog planned should the situation call for it. I fear I have put too much passion into it now that I have started.
I don't wish to offend anyone who has taken part. I think that any act of charity is noble and brilliant and you should all be proud of yourselves. Thank you for thinking of your fellow humans and continuing to raise the profile of a worthy cause. For myself, I have given rather than douse myself in cold water and you can see that here if you wish for proof:
Look, I am prepared to piss people off with this view. I understand what the challenge is for. If you don't you can find out more about ALS or Motor Neurone Disease here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amyotrophic_lateral_sclerosis
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Motor-neurone-disease/Pages/Introduction.aspx
If you want to give to the wonderful charities that are looking for a cure and helping support those with the disease there is a list of places to do so at this article: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/how-to-donate-to-als-no-ice-bucket-challenge-necessary-to-help-motor-neurone-disease-charities-9690499.html
Also, as an aside, Macmillan are also getting people to do the ice-bucket thing and their link can also be found in the article above.
Now why won't I participate? Well, it feels as though the hype of the challenge has outweighed the enormity of the cause. It feels forced and the general feeling that if you do not take part you are a spoilsport is there to guilt trip those that do not wish to participate.
I am all for charitable giving. I for one donate each month to two charities, WWF and British Legion (you can do so by clicking on the hyperlinks for their names). These are charities close to my heart. I donate to the WWF because I have a passion for Pandas (and I also adopted a penguin for my penguin loving fiancé) and I would like to see the preservation of their habitat and the continuation of this species. It is my own, possibly pathetic, attempt to give something back to the planet on which I briefly reside. I give to the British Legion for personal reasons and I have mentioned them before, but I will do so again.
My Mum's Dad was conscripted at 18 to fight for the British Army in WWII. He was a logistics driver which means he drove weapons, troops and supplies to dangerous areas on the Eastern Front and Western Front. He saw his friends and colleagues blown up by mines and gunfire and he survived. His youngest brother joined up through conscription at 18 shortly before the end of the war and was sadly killed. My Grandfather had to deal with losing a beloved sibling at such a young age. After the war he was given the chance to discharge but decided to stay on and was sent as part of the peace keeping force to Greece which was in the midst of civil war. There, my Grandfather was held hostage for six months before being returned to the British at the end of the war. Instead of loathing every minute, my Grandfather loved his captivity in Greece. He learned to speak fluent Greek and was taken on sightseeing trips where his captors could take him. The trouble began when he returned home.
My Grandfather loved his family, his wife (my Nan who he met after leaving the army), his daughters and son. Yet he could never quite settle in the civilian world and needed some help from the British Legion to do so. Later in his life the Legion helped to advise and provide some care for him in his own home and when the time came for him to pass on they supported my Nan with the funeral arrangements.
This level of support that my family has received has made me very grateful for that charity and all the work they do. When I looked into everything that the Legion does to support veterans of war today I was blown away. They deserve more recognition than simply the wearing of a poppy once a year. That is why, starting tomorrow, I will be wearing one of my poppy brooches every day and everywhere I go. The coverage of the 100 years since the start of the Great War (or some of you will know it as WWI) will surely help to raise the profile of this wonderful charity even more.
As you can see, I have a real passion for this charity. I give what I can each month and have a direct debit set up to do this indefinitely, I donate an extra large sum in November for 11 November and I look forward to finding a place to buy a poppy and wear it with pride when I do so.
This is my act of charity and is not a one off event. It is something I want to do. I tell you this in contrast to the publicity of the ice-bucket challenge. This is my act of charity and I don't do it because I am compelled to do so by a Facebook notification, I do so because I believe in supporting a cause close to my heart.
I have been waiting and dreading the nomination for the challenge and had this blog planned should the situation call for it. I fear I have put too much passion into it now that I have started.
I don't wish to offend anyone who has taken part. I think that any act of charity is noble and brilliant and you should all be proud of yourselves. Thank you for thinking of your fellow humans and continuing to raise the profile of a worthy cause. For myself, I have given rather than douse myself in cold water and you can see that here if you wish for proof:
Just remember, like me there are many other people out there who give on a regular basis to a charity close to their hearts. I have told my story and some of you will be pissed at me for it. Before you react in such a manner remember this, it is my personal choice to give to those charities I believe in. I have chose the ones I have because they are close to my heart, especially the British Legion. My contribution may be small but this is not about making myself feel big or special, it is about giving the little I can regularly as a way to say thank you to one charity that is trying to conserve our planet for future generations and (more closely to me) to say thank you to a charity that did everything they could to help out someone I love and care for.
Those of you continuing with the ice-bucket challenge, good luck. I have no intention of performing the act, but I have performed an act of giving.
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