The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Comes to Salon Success Academy

August ’14

Salon Success Academy Chief Operating Officer Christina Belcher was called out by her niece and now she’s calling on all our campuses to join the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. If you’ve just recently returned to the planet and don’t know, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a fundraiser that supports amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a devastating degenerative disease of the nervous system that causes its victims to gradually lose voluntary control of their muscles, often becoming paralyzed before they die. There is no cure, and until recently research funding was often overshadowed by other diseases.

“It’s a great cause that hadn’t received nearly enough attention,” said Christina. “The Ice Bucket Challenge is changing all that.”

Under the rules of the challenge — gone viral on social media — people are “challenged” to either donate $100 or donate $10 and dump a bucket of ice and water over their heads. Then, they take to social media to send out their own challenges. Since July 29, ALS has raised more than $31 million, more than 16 times what the ALS Association had raised in the same period last year.

Christina has already donated her $100 but she’s still willing to get doused. Rather than challenge a few of her friends, she is reaching out to the entire Salon Success Academy community, at all five campuses: Corona, Fontana, Redlands, San Bernardino and Upland. Christina has raised the stakes and given the students a great incentive to raise some money in record time. She has given them one week to collectively raise $900. If they are unable to succeed, all of the school directors will need to submit to a dousing of icy cold water and cubes. But if they are able to raise $1100, the campus directors will be joined by Christina, CEO Charles Gross, Director of Advertising Jeff Gross and Director of Education Linda Rios in a school soaking.

“I have no doubt that I’ll be getting iced,” said Christina, and she doesn’t mind.

“Our students have always stepped up for good causes,” said Christina. “I just posted the video to Facebook and they’ve already started planning fundraisers.”

If you’d like to learn more about ALS, visit their website and don’t forget to check out the Salon Success Academy page on Facebook to see who’s getting doused with ice water next.

 

Some Friendly Competition

One of the reasons Salon Success Academy students love their school is because there’s always something fun going on. Competitions are especially popular! Recent activity saw students creating styles from the 1920s, 60s and 80s in our decade competition. In another event, students created styles and makeup mirroring the characters from Dr. Suess.