ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE Making a Meaningful Contribution to ALS RESEARCH in the Honor of Brother Steve Rubin, WPI 74
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE Making a meaningful contribution to ALS RESEARCH in the honor of Brother Steve Rubin, WPI 74 Dr. Steve PGD Rubin WPI Pi UMass Medical Iota Angel DR. Fund ALS Brown Cure The 168th Phi Gamma Delta Ekklesia Ice Bucket Challenge Saturday, August 13, 2016 Time: 3:00 PM PURPOSE – CAUSE - BACKGROUND - PARTNERS CONNECTING THE STARS With the pace of life being what this it is, it is a challenge to slow down long enough to think about and reflect of the meaningful relationships and connections we have made. But, Brother Steve Rubin, WPI 74 has presented us with an opportunity to create a link between people and organizations that speak to how he conducted his life until ALS took his life. Phi Gamma Delta’s Ice Bucket Challenge, to be conducted during the 169th Ekklesia, provides a platform to form an affinity and connection between: Brother Rubin, Phi Gamma Delta, Pi Iota, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), UMass Medical School, Dr. Robert H. Brown, the Angel Fund and meaningful ALS research. The goal of this unique connection is to raise a minimum of $15,000 to be directed to Dr. Robert H. Brown for ALS Research through the Angel fund in the name of Brother Steve Rubin, WPI THE CAUSE ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. As motor neurons degenerate, they can no longer send impulses to the muscle fibers that normally result in muscle movement. Early symptoms of ALS often include increasing muscle weakness, especially involving the arms and legs, speech, swallowing or breathing. When muscles no longer receive the messages from the motor neurons that they need to function, the muscles begin to atrophy. He condition slowly gets worse. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in in ALS eventually leads to the death of the motor neurons. When the muscles in the chest area stop working, it becomes hard or impossible to breathe independently. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. Death often occurs within three to five years ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE The Ice Bucket Challenge, sometimes called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, was an activity involving dumping a bucket of ice and water on someone's head to promote awareness of the disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, known mostly in the US as Lou Gehrig's Disease) and encourage donations to research. It went viral on social media during July–August 2014. In the US, many people participate for the ALS Association, and in the UK, many people participate for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, although some individuals have opted to donate their money from the Ice Bucket Challenge to other organizations. The challenge encourages nominated participants to be filmed having a bucket of ice water poured on their heads and then nominating others to do the same. A common stipulation is that nominated participants have 24 hours to comply or forfeit by way of a charitable financial donations On August 1, 2015, a group of ALS organizations in the United States, including the ALS Association, Les Turner ALS Foundation, and ALS Therapy Development Institute, re-introduced the Ice Bucket Challenge for 2015 to raise further funds with the intention of establishing it as an annual occurrence. The origins of the idea of dumping cold water on one's head to raise money for charity are unclear and have been attributed to multiple sources. The most commonly accepted origin credits Pete Frates, a Boston College student who was diagnosed with ALS in March 2012. Pat Quinn, a friend of Frates who was diagnosed with ALS in 2013, is also credited with creating the challenge. Another friend of Frates, Corey Griffin, has been credited as a "co-founder" of the challenge. THE PHI GAMMA DELTA VERSION Phi Gamma Delta will be conducting an Ice Bucket Challenge with 20 graduate brothers at the 168th Ekklesia. Each brother will have a ‘bounty’ that needs to be met in order to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge. Every donor will be able to select what brother they want to give towards to help meet his goal to participate in the challenge. Here is the list of participants: Mike Lucas (Bradley 1983), Archon President - $1,000 Mark Smith (Texas Arlington 1983), Archon Vice President - $1,000 Glenn Moor (Texas Tech 1984), Archon Treasurer - $1,000 Kevin Mitchelson (Kansas 1979), Archon Secretary - $1,000 Seth Bland (Western Kentucky 2016), Archon Councilor - $1,000 Clark Robertson (Nebraska 1982), Archon Councilor - $1,000 Kit Russell (William Jewell 2017), Archon Councilor - $1,000 Bill Martin (Mississippi State 1975), Executive Director - $1,000 Buddy Cote (Maine 1981), Former Archon President & Host Committee Chairman - $1,000 Towner Blackstock (Davidson 1994), Curator of Archives - $500 Ed Gabe (Hanover 1990), Ritualist - $500 Bill Bracewell (Georgia Faculty), Educational Director - $500 Bill Brand (RPI 1987), Host Committee Vice Chairman - $500 Tim Kilduff (Kent State 1968), Host Committee Member - $500 Lee Souter (Vermont 2005), Host Committee Member -$500 Bob Marshall (Rhode Island 1977), Host Committee Member - $500 Rob Caudill (Akron 2004), Director of Graduate Development - $500 Duke Murphy (Coastal Carolina 2011), Director of Chapter Development - $500 Todd Rotgers (Minnesota 2011), Director of Education - $500 THE ANGEL FUND The Angel Fund was established to support ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) research and scientific investigations at the Cecil B. Day Laboratory by raising funds through events, campaigns, foundation grants and numerous other community outreach activities, to aid in finding a cause, treatment and cure for ALS. The Angel Fund for ALS Research (Angel Fund, Inc.) is an independent non-profit charity dedicated to supporting ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) investigations at the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at UMass Medical Center in Worcester, MA, internationally recognized for its ground-breaking work in the fight against this devastating illness. The laboratory is under the direction of world renowned ALS researcher Dr. Robert H. Brown, Jr. The Angel Fund is special. They are not a national charity – they are local to Massacusetts. They have very low overhead and administrative costs. Their offices are located in the law firm of Nigro Pettipet and Lucas, courtesy of Directors Jan and Eugene Nigro. That means that The Angel Fund has no rent, no utility bills, no high-paid executives. Angel Fund President Rich Kennedy and the board members are not paid. DR. ROBERT H. BROWN The Angel fund funds innovative research aimed at turning off Mutant genes that cause ALS. World renowned ALS researcher Dr. Robert H. Brown and the UMass Gene Therapy Center (Worcester, Massachusetts) team are already working on cutting-edge research using gene therapy to silence ALS genes. The initial gene to be targeted will be the SOD1 gene, responsible for 50% of genetic ALS This clinical program is a cooperative effort conducted jointly at UMass Medical School under the leadership of Dr. Brown and the Massachusetts General Hospital team led by Dr. Merit Cudkowicz and Dr. James Berry. Dr. Brown was Brother Rubin’s doctor. UMass Medical School is located approximately 5 miles from Phi Gamma Delta’s Pi Iota Chapter. WPI - REMEMBERING STEVE RUBIN ’74 (1952 – 2015) Stephen E. Rubin ’74, former chairman of the WPI Board of Trustees, a remarkable friend and colleague, dedicated family man, and successful entrepreneur who built one of the nation’s leading industrial automation software companies, died August 28, 2015, at the age of 63, from complications related to ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease). Steve’s battle with ALS inspired many members of the greater WPI community to contribute to research on this as-yet incurable progressive neurodegenerative disease. Many, including WPI president Laurie Leshin, did so by taking part in the national ALS Association ice-bucket challenge on his behalf. One of the first students of the WPI Plan, Steve credited WPI with giving him the project experience that led to his first job and for the skills and confidence he gained that helped him build his entrepreneurial career. “I love WPI,” he said. “It helped me have a complete and successful life.” HOW CAN I PARTICIPATE? Each participating graduate brother will have a ‘bounty’ that needs to be met in order for them to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge. Brothers will donate toward one or more of these brothers to help meet the threshold for them to participate in the challenge. Every dollar brothers donate can make sure that Archon President Mike Lucas, Executive Director Bill Martin or several others participate in the challenge and benefit ALS research. To donate now, go to: https://legfi.com/fundraisers/217 THE MATCHING GIFT CHALLENGE The Rubin Family has agreed to match donations, gathered at the Ekklesia, up to $10,000.00. .