Ice Bucket Challenge hits Niverville

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This article was published 21/08/2014 (3535 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It did not take long for the Ice-Bucket Challenge to hit southeastern Manitoba and now Niverville businesses are jumping into the water to raise awareness and funds for A.L.S. While people are having fun dousing their friends and family with ice cold water, a more serious discussion is taking place.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) is a progressive neuromuscular disease in which nerve cells die and leave voluntary muscles paralyzed. Every day two or three Canadians die of the disease.

Colleen Dyck, owner of GORP Clean Energy Bars in Niverville, was challenged to join the awareness campaign and she was more than happy to do so. Dyck lost her father to ALS four years ago.

“It’s a horrible disease,” Dyck said. “Its one of the worst, I think, that you could possibly get. I’m really glad we’re raising awareness. I’m not so glad that it’s seeming to be a more commonplace occurrence to hear that someone you know has got the disease. That’s the sad part. The great part is that people are getting behind it. This ice bucket challenge has been amazing. It’s gone viral; it’s all over the place. I was just glad that we got to participate in such a creative way with such amazing people in this town who always seem to get behind a cause.”

GORP, Artel Farms, Bigway and Von Ast Construction employees met at Bigway in Niverville to be hosed down by local fire fighters. They were shocked when a grain cart drove up and dumped additional water onto the group of people who were already soaked and shivering.

Through chattering teeth, they challenged Niverville Town Council, Niverville Fire Department, Morris Bigway and Enns Brothers of Steinbach to take the Ice Bucket Challenge and make a donation at www.als.ca.