Several of Birmingham’s bravest stood atop a fire engine in front of City Hall with buckets of water at 5 p.m. Tuesday evening. The reason? Several City Councilors had decided to accept the Ice Bucket Challenge made by members of their central staff earlier in the day and they needed some help to pull it off.
Council president Johnathan Austin was joined by councilors William Parker and Sheila Tyson — shortly before her well-attended telephonic town hall meeting (488 people took part BTW) — in addition to president pro-tempore Jay Roberson. We shot some video, but the city’s provided one that captures the highlights from a much better angle:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sLr5eLTX4U?w=625]Bobbi Grady, director of development and outreach for the Alabama chapter of the ALS Association, spoke to the small crowd gathered to witness the eventually-YouTubed spectacle to thank them for helping to draw attention to the organization. Among those challenged on Tuesday evening were Mayor Bell and his staff, all of the city’s corporate chief executives, and all elected officials in the metropolitan area.
Incidentally, this year’s Birmingham Walk to Defeat ALS is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 11 at the Hoover Met — in case you want another way to raise awareness and funds to help fight this disease. The event has traditionally served as the organization’s largest single fundraiser. Several reports, however, suggest the ice bucket challenge may eclipse it this year. A press release sent out by the ALS Association yesterday states they’ve raised $88.5 million between July 29 to August 26; the same period last year saw donations totaling $2.6 million.
