The ALS Association and Active Minds Collaborate for ALS and Mental Health Awareness Month

Resurgence of the Ice Bucket Challenge Unites Communities Around Urgent Causes

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This May, the ALS Association and Active Minds are teaming up to raise awareness for two urgent health priorities: ALS and mental health. The collaboration comes as a new generation embraces the Ice Bucket Challenge -- originally launched in 2014 to support the fight against ALS -- now repurposed by students and activists to spotlight mental health. The two organizations are joining together to honor the Challenge's origins while supporting its evolving impact.

"The Ice Bucket Challenge is a cultural phenomenon that has changed the fight against ALS forever," said Calaneet Balas, president and CEO of the ALS Association. "It led to the discovery of new ALS genes, launched global research collaborations, and expanded care for people living with ALS. At the same time, it showed how grassroots action can transform health outcomes -- and we're pleased to see that same energy now being used to advance mental health awareness, as well."

The original Ice Bucket Challenge raised $115 million for the ALS Association, which led to another $1 billion in follow-on funding for ALS research. In the years since, new treatments have emerged -- one of which has shown reversal of disease progression in people with a specific genetic form of ALS. The Challenge also sparked a global shift in how rare diseases are funded, understood, and prioritized.

Today, as students and advocates across the country raise their buckets again -- this time for mental health and ALS -- the ALS Association and Active Minds are embracing the shared spirit of action, advocacy, and compassion.

"This campaign has become more than just a viral trend -- it's a symbol of solidarity across movements," said Alison Malmon, founder & executive director of Active Minds. "Whether you're navigating the mental health journey or facing a diagnosis like ALS, no one should do it alone. This May, we stand together because awareness leads to action, and action leads to hope."

Throughout the month, the organizations will collaborate on social media platforms, highlight stories of resilience from their communities and encourage the public to take action -- whether that's dumping a bucket of water, sharing a post, or reaching out for help. The ALS Association invites people to use the hashtags #RaiseYourBucket and #TogetherInMay to show support. Watch the moment the ALS Association's Calaneet Balas and Active Minds' Alison Malmon take the Ice Bucket Challenge together, aligning two causes in a shared moment of action.

To learn more about the legacy and future of the Ice Bucket Challenge, visit ALS.org/IBC. For mental health resources and ways to get involved, visit ActiveMinds.org. 

About ALS 

ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Eventually, people with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death within two to five years of diagnosis. For unknown reasons, veterans are more likely to develop ALS than the general population.

About the ALS Association

The ALS Association is the largest philanthropic funder of ALS research in the world. The Association funds global research collaborations, assists people with ALS and their families through its nationwide network of care and certified clinical care centers, and advocates for better public policies for people with ALS. The ALS Association is working to make ALS a livable disease while urgently searching for new treatments and a cure. For more information about the ALS Association, visit our website at als.org

About Active Minds

Active Minds is the largest nonprofit in the United States mobilizing youth and young adults to transform mental health norms across society. For more than 20 years, we have equipped the next generation of peer mental health advocates through a variety of programs, including the Active Minds Chapter Network, A.S.K., and Send Silence Packing. Our advocacy, initiatives, and campaigns foster lasting change in how youth view and discuss mental health, encouraging them to use their voices to influence broader conversations and inform mental health supports within their communities. Together, we are building a diverse movement of champions committed to improving mental health for all. To learn more about Active Minds, visit activeminds.org.

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SOURCE The ALS Association