Smithsonian Museum Exhibit Pays Tribute To Ice Bucket Challenge
BOSTON (CBS) – An exhibit currently on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History pays tribute to the viral fundraising campaign made famous by Beverly native Pete Frates.
The Smithsonian's "Giving In America" exhibit includes a bucket used by Jeanette Senerchia during one of the first ALS Ice Bucket Challenge videos. Senerchia's post helped launch the viral campaign.
Frates, who also suffers from ALS, helped catapult the campaign to worldwide levels in 2014 when he became involved in fundraising efforts.
Countless athletes, celebrities and politicans participated in the Ice Bucket Challenge and donated to the cause as a result of Frates' involvement.
Since 2014, more than $115 million has been raised for ALS research thanks to more than 17 million Ice Bucket Challenge videos.
Also featured in the Smithsonian's Giving In America exhibit is a March of Dimes collection can, an alms box, and boots worn by Earl Shaffer on his Appalachian Trail hike in 1948.