When my friend Matt Valle nominated me, I was happy to accept the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
I did my best to do it right, but for those of you who find issue with the ALS ICB, I apologize for upsetting you. You're awesome and I love you.
First, I did this because of Anthony Carabajal and people like him.
I met Anthony once at an event for wedding professionals. He's a fellow wedding photographer whose work is simply the best. Check it Out. When he was diagnosed, he had to stop shooting weddings. Life gave him a one-two punch and I don't know if I would show the same strength that he has shown along with his vulnerability. I find him inspirational.
Now, let's talk about water and animals...
Since I live in Los Angeles, CA and we're in a serious Drought, I caught most of the water in my dog's kiddie pool. I'm going to pour the water onto one of my many trees that could desperately use it.
My backyard used to be covered in grass, but I stopped watering it years ago because, whether we're in a drought or not, this is a desert and lawns are luxuries that are extremely wasteful. If you're in Southern California, you can get a rebate that might even pay for the cost of transforming your yard into something more eco-friendly. Info about the rebate can be found at SoCal Water$mart.
I'm also going to donate to Matt Damon's non-profit Water.org
Hopefully you don't feel that I have wasted our water supply by doing this challenge. If I've failed you, I apologize for disappointing you. You're awesome and I absolutely love you.
Also, I decided to donate my money to Compassionate Care ALS , which is an organization that offers continuing help to people living with ALS and their families. I did this because with this group, I know my money isn't directly going to animal testing. I am thrilled to see how much money the ALS Association has raised and hope they put it to good use. I am thankful for the people who were vocal about animal testing. It brought something to my attention that I wouldn't have thought about otherwise.
This campaign has done a great job of raising awareness, intentionally and unintentionally… don't you think?
I hope you're not angry about anything I've said about animal rights or my personal choice to donate to Compassionate Care ALS... but if you are mad, I apologize for upsetting you. You're awesome and I absolutely love you.
Check out the photos from my ALS Ice Bucket Challenge