Better late than never. The Ice Bucket Challenge is back after more than 10 years of hiatus. Back in 2014, Peyton Manning was one of the first NFLers to take on the Ice Bucket Challenge after being nominated by Steve Gleason and a bunch of Broncos fans. After taking the jolt of ice-cold water, Manning went on to nominate his former Colts teammate, center Jeff Saturday, GM Bill Polian and OC Tom Moore. Now, after the much-awaited return of the Ice Bucket Challenge, this time he challenged his younger brother Eli Manning. As for Eli, he accepted the challenge openheartedly, but not before inviting his nephew, Arch, and a few others to do the same.

The “Ice Bucket Challenge” was a viral fundraising campaign started by a USC junior, Wade Jefferson. After Jefferson lost two of his close friends to suicide, he found the Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club. He and a few others decided to launch this challenge in hopes of raising funds for Active Minds. It’s a non-profit organization whose mission is to help youths deal with mental health challenges.

Brett Curtis, the director of community fundraising with Active Minds, once revealed an alarming trend among young people. “Active Minds has found actually that 70% of youth and adults don’t know how to speak with a friend about mental health. It’s something that deserves to have recognition and conversations every day.” He also went on to issue a warning stating, “The data shows us that 50% of all Americans will face a mental health condition in our lifetime.” So, taking into consideration all the alarming traits associated with mental health. This trend is back. With that, Eli is also back doing the Ice Bucket Challenge.

After initially participating as a Giants player, Eli didn’t hesitate to accept the challenge the second time around. He was captured sitting beside his pool. But before the ice-cold water was poured on him. He nominated his nephew, Arch Manning, and Russell Wilson’s teammate, Dexter Lawrence, to take on the challenge after him. Not only them, Eli also wants to see his former Giants teammate, Shaun O’Hara, and singer Charles Kelly do the same. After reading out everyone’s name, Eli got jolted by ice-cold water.

So, keep an eye out for Arch, Dexter, Shaun, and Charles. They would surely be accepting Eli’s challenge for a cause that is meant not only to change but also to save lives.

“Ice Bucket Challenge”: A trend humbly adopted globally

When Jefferson’s USC Minds club spearheaded the launch of this fundraising campaign, it only had a modest goal of $500. They expected it to stay limited within their USC campus. However, no one could have predicted it would surpass $100,000 in donations. The ALS association, which benefited a lot from this challenge, has openly welcomed its return. “We’re thrilled to see the spirit of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge live on in new forms of activism.” 

At the peak of its popularity during its first big wave of trend, the Ice Bucket Challenge was taken up by former President George W. Bush, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, and Derek Jeter.

There might have been concerns whether ALS research would sustain its funding once the trend dies down. But their director of fundraising, Curtis, made it clear it wasn’t about donations in the first place. “Donations were always secondary. This was a chance for us to support a group of students and that’s always been our mission. And I’m just excited to see it keep going for as long as it does.” Hopefully, more people will join in like the first time around. And in this second wave of the Ice Bucket Challenge, it will be even bigger than the first one.