August 19, 2015
Last summer’s social media/philanthropy phenomenon—the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge benefiting the ALS Association (ALSA) is back. With the hashtag “EveryAugustUntilACure” the Challenge, which raised more than $200 million last year, is in full swing again. Booz Allen is proudly participating again this year, and has launched its own challenge—to pass the “ice bucket” around the world—with leaders in more than 20 Booz Allen offices, including President and CEO Horacio Rozanski, taking the challenge on behalf of those battling ALS.
“This disease is relentless, and we have to be more relentless in our pursuit of a cure,” says Senior Vice President Rob Silverman, chair of DC Dine to Defeat ALS—a night benefitting the ALSA DC/MD/VA Chapter. “Booz Allen has a long history of supporting ALSA and we hope that as we “pass the bucket” we ignite many more corporations and individuals to join in; working together to raise awareness and funds for treatments and research to one day find a cure for a disease that our family members, friends and colleagues continue to fight both personally and professionally to this day.
Booz Allen looked to its employees via a firm-developed crowdsourcing platform to find the best ideas for accepting the challenge in 2015, with staff from across the country offering suggestions and voting on the ideas presented.
“Some people wonder, why do the challenge again, when it raised so much money last year,” says Vice President Paul Ingholt, who serves as the VP of the DC/MD/VA ALSA Board of Directors. “Living with ALS can cost upwards of $250,000 a year for each patient; which is why the care services and support that the local DC/MD/VA ALS Association chapter provides to those living with ALS in our communities is essential. Last summer’s success was unparalleled, but a patient diagnosed with ALS today receives the same treatment that Lou Gehrig received 75 years ago – we still have work to do.”
Booz Allen’s involvement with the ALS Association began in 1999, when team members initiated a partnership with ALSA after a colleague was diagnosed with the disease. Over the past 15 years, Booz Allen has been proud to be an essential partner to ALSA, providing a national volunteer force, and through pro bono and leadership involvement, helping launch fundraising innovations, transform operations, and provide technology expertise to help address critical challenges.
Donate to the National ALS Association at: http://www.alsa.org/donate/, or find your local chapter to involved and donate: http://www.alsa.org/community/chapters/
Booz Allen employees can donate to the National ALS Association or their local chapter here: boozallencares.bah.com.
