Delaware Tech participates in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
By Taylor Johnson
Vice President and Campus Director Dr. Ileana Smith and Dean of Student Affairs Dr. Melissa Rakes participated in the trend that swept the nation this summer, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
Dr. Smith and Dr. Rakes participated in the challenge on Aug. 28, in front of the fountain on the Delaware Technical and Community College Owens Campus.
Dr. Rakes was nominated by Student Government Association President Tina Huebner. She challenged Suzanne Marsh, the Physical Therapist Assistant Club, and her husband, alumna Shawn Rakes. She said all of her nominees accepted and completed the challenge.
“I really wanted to be a part of this worldwide initiative to bring awareness and attention to ALS,” she said.
Dr. Rakes donated towards ALS, and said she would participate in the challenge again if challenged.
“It was a lot of fun to do the challenge together, it was neat to do the challenge with my supervisor. It was a show of how we support our students and are involved with them,” she said.
Dr. Smith was challenged by President of the Campus Activities Board Rob Karpin, who is also a nursing student at the Owens Campus. Dr. Smith challenged three community members: Rob Rider, Claudia Porretti, and Amy Walls.
Dr. Smith said her nominees completed their challenge on time, and she also donated to the cause. This is a very worthwhile cause, and this is a unique strategy for building awareness of ALS, she said.
Dr Smith wanted to participate in helping advance the research for a cure of that disease, she said.
Dr. Smith said she would like to participate in the challenge again. She didn't get wet very well, she said.
She took a lot from her experience of participating in the challenge, she said.
“The obvious lesson by doing something fun you can still do tremendous good,” she said.
The whole community building that can happen when you do something fun like that is something you can take away from the experience, she said.
Director of Instruction Bobbi Baron thought that Dr. Smith and Dr. Rakes participating in the challenge was great. She was able to watch the video on the Delaware Tech Facebook page.
Our college President, Dr. Brainard, did it a couple weeks prior, she said. She knew it was only a matter of time before others did it, Dr. Baron said.
“I thought it was pretty cool that two of our campus leaders would go out and do that,” she said, “I think it shows how real they are and how down to earth they are.”
Dr. Baron was challenged by some friends to participate in the challenge, she said. She did take and complete her challenge on time, she said.
Dr. Baron also donated money towards the cause.
“I have friends and family who have been touched by this disease, and I think it’s an important cause.”
Dr. Baron has been a supporter of ALS long before the ice bucket challenge, she said.
Dr. Baron is proud of the PTA students who walk in the ALS walk every year in honor of Marsha Kyle’s husband, she said.
“I think the ice bucket challenge got a little out of control,” Dr. Baron said with a laugh.
“Every time you got on Facebook you thought “oh my gosh now who’s doing it,” she said.
Dr. Rakes and Dr. Baron have discussed how amazing the donations from last summer this summer have increased, Dr. Baron said. The amount that the ALS Foundation received just skyrocketed, she said.
“I think anytime you can bring awareness to a disease or a challenge, it does bring more interest,” Dr. Baron said.
As crazy as the challenge got, Dr. Baron thought that the Ice Bucket Challenge was a fun distraction from the seriousness of the disease, she said.
ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord, and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progression of the motor cells degeneration eventually leads to the death of the individual with this disease.
When the motor neurons die, the brain loses the ability to initiate and control muscle movement. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease can become totally paralyzed.