Last week, I accepted an Ice Bucket Challenge to raise funds and awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord and for which there is no current cure or treatment. About 2 in 100,000 people have ALS, which can strike anyone.
If you haven’t heard about the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which went viral earlier this summer, accepting a challenge means that you commit to donating to the cause or having a bucket of ice water dumped on your head!
Like many people, I chose to do both.
And I didn’t take part alone.
It’s More Fun with Your Friends
The entire leadership team in Creation’s Toronto business unit decided to issue a personal challenge to me, as well as challenging some of our other Creation business units and teams.
https://www.youtu.be/87aBr0cuLJY?rel=0
It was only fitting that all of the members of our executive team in Vancouver that day accepted Toronto’s challenge along with me!
Many people from our Vancouver and Headquarters teams came out to watch. After all, seeing someone dump freezing water on their head is a lot of fun.
In exchange for the entertainment, we challenged everyone watching (in person and online) to get involved.
And so for every Creation person that takes the challenge, Creation Technologies will match your donation of $10.
And for every customer, supplier, friend, neighbour, and family-member you can convince to take the challenge along with you, Creation Technologies will match their donation of $10, too!
Did I mention that we’re also challenging our friends over at Birch Hill, our private equity partner? I can’t wait to see that video! Here’s ours:
https://www.youtu.be/sJg_bVdjtvM?rel=0
Making a Difference
I joined Creation this past April, and one of the things that stood out to me immediately was how people are truly friendly, helpful, and connected to each other and to our suppliers and customers. Our Making a Difference program, formalized in 2009, carries that spirit into the communities in which we live and work.
Our teams in all Creation business units are proud to be able to give back, and feel very fortunate to meet the amazing people and learn about the amazing programs that do so much to make the world a better place.
I’ve heard so many wonderful stories about how we’ve planted trees, painted gyms, made sandwiches, washed boats, built houses, dug latrines (yes, really), and shaved eyebrows.
And now in true Creation fashion, teams across our business units have come together for each other and for ALS, dumping frigid water on their heads in Ice Bucket Challenges.
You can see more of our videos, here on Creation’s YouTube Channel.
The goal of all non-profit organizations is to find impactful ways to raise awareness about critical issues.
I’d say that the ALS Association has done a tremendous job of that through the Ice Bucket Challenges.
I’d also say that I’m really lucky to have a team like mine.
Please take this opportunity to learn more about the fight to treat and cure ALS through research and advocacy at www.alsa.org.
