Pete Frates' family celebrates 10 years of raising money through ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
BOSTON – Family members of the late Pete Frates are honoring his memory on Thursday and throughout the month of August as they mark the 10th anniversary of the Ice Bucket Challenge.
In 2014, the Ice Bucket Challenge became a viral sensation as people around the globe challenged each other to dump a bucket of ice water on their head and donate money to ALS research.
The challenge was started by Massachusetts resident and Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with the disease.
Frates died in 2019, but his family has continued raising money through the Pete Frates Family Foundation.
In the last 10 years, the Frates family has helped raise more than $220 million for ALS research.
"Here we are 10 years later. Unfortunately we're missing a huge piece with Pete not being here. It is remembering that. It's remembering how good it felt. You were with family and friends having hoy, but you were also doing something great for someone else," Pete's mother, Nancy Frates, told WBZ-TV.
In the years since Pete Frates' death, his family has continued to raise money through various fundraisers. The Pete Frates Family Foundation provides grants for people living with ALS to help them pay for out of pocket home health care expenses.
The Frates family continues its "Every August until a cure" mantra, bringing back the Ice Bucket Challenge starting Thursday.
"You did help us. So now we're back to remind you that you got us started, we're working towards a cure, we're not there yet, so stick with us," Nancy Frates said. "We're sticking with his mission. And his mission was to find a cure."
