BOSTON (SHNS) – Dozens doused themselves in cold water on the State House steps Wednesday, resuming the Ice Bucket Challenge in memory of Pete Frates, the late co-founder of the viral fundraising campaign.
Established in support of ALS research nine years ago, the challenge raised an estimated $220 million and earned support from participants such as former Gov. Charlie Baker, who drenched himself with icy water alongside Frates on the State House steps in 2015. This year, participants used the event to discuss the importance of extending remote and hybrid work options for people with disabilities and their caretakers.
“The added time that would be given to employees who would not need to commute, as well as the physical proximity to those they care for, should not be seen as a perk, but a necessity,” Julie Frates, Pete’s widow and caretaker, said.
Among the public officials who gathered for the challenge were Rep. Bill Driscoll and Sen. Joan Lovely, and Imene Bouziane Saidi of the Commission on the Status of Persons with Disabilities donned a clear rain poncho once it came time to get wet.
Event sponsor NWN Carousel provided this year’s buckets, which were less than half the size of those that Baker and his Cabinet secretaries spilled on their heads in 2015, resulting in a significantly drier crowd of participants.
In 2017, Baker signed a law requiring the governor each year to “issue a proclamation setting apart the first week in August as Ice Bucket Challenge Week to honor the contributions of Pete Frates and all persons that participate in raising funds and awareness to battle the disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and recommending that the week be observed in an appropriate manner by the people.”
