New Holland >> On a hot August day, Scott Miller chilled with the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
The chief marketing officer at Garden Spot Village, Miller recently got drenched with a cooler of ice water for a good cause-to raise awareness and funds for research into amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a progressive, degenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal chord. The disease is terminal, and there is no known cure.
“At Garden Spot Village, stewardship is one of our core values. When we receive the call to serve others, we respond,” says Miller.
The challenge asks people to get soaked with buckets of ice water and/or donate to ALS research and then nominate three others to take up the challenge. Participants share a video of the challenge on social medial and spread the word.
According to the ALS website, http://als-ny.org/blog/thank-als-ice-bucket-challenge-raised-100-million/, as of Aug. 29, “The ALS Association’s national office and its 38 chapters have received a combined $100.9 million in donations compared to $2.8 million during the same time period last year (July 29 to August 29).”
Miller received the challenge from Wendy Cowan, chief officer for marketing and public relations at Menno Haven Retirement Communities. Cowan also challenged Larry Guengerich, director of communications and church relations at Landis Communities, and Kristin Heisey, vice president of strategic development and marketing at Messiah Lifeways.
Miller gladly took up the challenge, with help from other members of the Garden Spot Village marketing team, and also made a personal donation on behalf of Garden Spot Village. In turn, he challenged colleagues at other retirement communities: Connie Buckwalter, director of marketing at Woodcrest Villa; Vicki Kriczky, director of marketing at Frederick Living; and Ric Myers, director of sales and marketing at Rockhill Mennonite Community.
Following the marketing department’s lead, team members from Garden Spot Village’s skilled nursing households took up the challenge. Household residents did the honors with the ice water, and team members challenged other departments at Garden Spot Village and Maple Farm.
“A lot of people are getting soaked by the good-natured and highly effective campaign,” said Miller.
To view the video, visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGZeeGkQqf4#t=28.
