You didn’t think we’d duck the ALS ice bucket challenge, did you?

By Tim Goodwin - Aug 19, 2014 | 0 comments

Tim adds some extra ice to Keith’s bucket while no one is looking.

While it may look as though Tim is much stronger than Keith since he was able to pick up his own bucket filled with water and ice and pour it over his head, that’s not necessarily the case. Tim was just the lucky one whose bucket had handles conducive for pouring over people, while Keith’s required a couple extra sets of hands. Luckily new publisher Dave Sangiorgio took a few minutes away from his new responsibilities to help, and “Monitor” reporter Iain Wilson wasn’t doing anything important.

We love a good challenge. Whether it has to do with eating large quantities of food in a short amount of time, playing an NBA legend in H or trying to recreate a semi-famous painting, we’re always down to try something new.

So when our phones fell silent last week (since none of you called), we decided to issue the ALS ice bucket challenge to ourselves. 

Because let’s be completely honest here folks, how can you say no to getting doused with freezing cold water and tiny chunks of ice to raise money for a good cause? The answer is you can’t.

With over $10 million in donations to ALS since the frigid phenomenon began less than a month ago, the ice bucket challenge has swept the nation – and it even made its way to Concord.

The challenge took on ever greater meaning in the Insider pod following the recent announcement that Concord High School Principal Gene Connolly was diagnosed with ALS. 

So armed with two buckets, a bag of ice and the coldest water this side of the Merrimack River, (as well as our personal press corps), we took to a grassy area on the Monitor compound for a special end of the week send off.

Sure it was pretty cold and very wet, and a couple pieces of ice made their way down my shirt to areas they should never travel to, but it was worth every frigid second. Plus, we had towels, a change of clothes and some leftover pizza that certainly was delicious.

And as part of the ice bucket challenge, it’s our duty to call out a few others to keep the movement going. So if your name is Kevin Deane (also known as a Friend of the Insider), City Manager Tom Aspell or General John Stark, you might want to buy some ice, fill up a bucket and pour it over your head.