It was a dream come true last night for County Councilman John McBlain.
The Republican pol could not resist the opportunity to confirm what local Republicans have suspected for some time - the editor of the Daily Times is all wet.
Actually I was a lot wetter after McBlain joined Upper Darby Police Superintendent Mike Chitwood and former Lansdowne Mayor Jayne Young soak me as 'Live From the Newsroom' took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
If you missed the show, you can catch the replay here.
Before we got to the chilly finale - yes, folks, even on a muggy August night, buckets of ice water are indeed cold - I wanted to take the opportunity to shed some light on this dreaded disease, and the people who are involved in the fight against it, especially here in the Philadelphia area.
It was my honor to be joined on the show by Lauren Stevenson, a board member with the ALS Association, Greater Philadelphia Chapter.
Lauren shed some light on the astounding success of the Ice Bucket Challenge, which has already raised over $31 million.
She was also able to explain to our viewers just what ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is and how it attacks the body's muscles, incapacitating its victims in a slow downward spiral.
Stevenson noted that it's ironic how this summer, amid the astounding success of the Ice Bucket Challenge, we also are marking the 75th anniversary of baseball great Lou Gehrig's famous retirement speech, in which he called himself "the luckiest man on the face of the Earth." ALS is now often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, after one of its most famous victims. Three-quarters of a century later, the search for a cure to this killer goes on.
We also got a very special look at the face of ALS. We were joined by Nina Kelly, and her husband, Mark, who is battling the disease. Nina and Mark provided a moving look at the devastating effects ALS has on families, and the lift provided this summer by the publicity surrounding the Ice Bucket Challenge.
The whole thing got Young, who saw first-hand the issues some of our local school districts have every year amid crushing budget constraints, to suggest maybe an Ice Bucket Challenge for Schools.
Sign me up.
My thanks to all involved last night.
If it would mean a cure, and a light at end of the tunnel for families like the Kellys and hundreds of others, I would let every Republican in Delaware County line up and dump ice water on my head.
Don't take that literally, John!
P.S.: By the way, if you want to join in the fun, you can make a donation to the ALS Association, Greater Philadelphia Chapter, by going to their website here. And the person who makes the biggest donation and mentions the Daily Times and ‘Live From the Newsroom’ will win four great tickets to an upcoming Philadelphia Union game at PPL Park in Chester, along with a parking pass, courtesy of Delaware County Council!
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