Mayor Andy Berke Monday evening at City Hall became the latest Chattanoogan to undergo the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. Berke agreed to be doused in ice water after receiving challenges from WGOW’s Brian Joyce, Assistant Police Chief Danna Vaughn, and others.
As he stood on the steps outside City Hall moments before being soaked, Mayor Berke said he’d been dreading doing the challenge, but felt better about it after seeing a video that day of a YMD employee whose mother had died of ALS (often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) talking about how meaningful the ice bucket challenge has been.
“Despite the fact that there’s a moment of dread, ALS has real consequences for Chattanooga families,” Mayor Berke said, “so it’s a great thing attention is being drawn [to the need for ALS research].”
In an effort to raise even more money for ALS research, Mayor Berke challenged local citizens to make a donation of at least $5. Each person who donated was entered into a drawing for the honor of dumping the bucket of ice water on Mayor Berke. Brent Goldberg, chief operating officer for the City of Chattanooga (“former chief operating officer for the City of Chattanooga,” Mayor Berke joked), was chosen at random.
For more photos, pick up a copy of the Hamilton County Herald.
All donations will go straight to ALS.org.