Town Hall says “BALS!” to ALS with Ice Bucket Challenge

September 3, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Brock Weir

Council and staff at Town Hall took the plunge in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge last week, saying “BALS!” to the disease, which claimed the life of one of their loved ones.

Organized by bylaw officer Heather Green, last week’s dunking included Mayor Geoffrey Dawe, Councillors John Abel, Sandra Humfryes and Michael Thompson, and CAO Neil Garbe.

They gathered in honour of the father of analyst Jennifer Schoutzen, who lost her dad to ALS two years ago. For her, the Ice Bucket Challenge has been a great way to raise both money and awareness of the disease.

Councillor John Gallo took the Ice Bucket Challenge the previous week.

“The amount of funds and awareness that are being raised through this campaign is just phenomenal,” she said. “In my family, we use many of the support services offered through ALS Canada, throughout the Ontario Branch.”

In return, she and her family participate in many fundraising events, including the annual ALS Walk, under the banner of “Bernie’s Awesome League of Schoutsen” – or “BALS.”