On a hot and sunny day in coastal Shenzhen, China, a small group of Beike Biotechnology’s international department was preparing to dump buckets of ice water on themselves. Why?
More than likely, you have seen many videos of this phenomenon. Maybe a video of a friend, family member, or even 30 year old billionaire dumping a bucket of ice water on their heads. The ALS Association (www.alsa.org) started the #ALSIceBucketChallenge marketing campaign as a way to increase donations to research Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease and spread awareness about this deadly condition. It has been sweeping the world, and the ALS Association has raised over 80 million US dollars through this campaign.
ALS is a condition that has no known cure. However, our own research as well as others show that stem cells are a potential option. Naturally, this campaign made sense for us to join. The Beike International department donated money to the ALS Association and made our own Ice Bucket Challenge video, challenging our staff and partners at Better Being Hospital to donate and do the same.
Most recently, Chinese companies and celebrities have also been participating in the challenges, and creating many headlines. Beike Biotech’s ALS challenge was also featured alongside other Chinese corporations on Biodiscover Magazine, an online publication dedicated to biotechnology firms worldwide. Read more about our day challenge and other news regarding the treatment of ALS and progress regarding incurable disease. http://www.biodiscover.com/news/company/112282.html
Shenzhen is situated in Southern China on the Hong Kong border and enjoys very warm and tropical summers. The ice water was actually very refreshing, and all of the Beike International staff agreed that it was not only a great charity to donate to, but it was a nice way to cool off and work together in some teambuilding activities at the same time. All in all, it was a successful day, and we encourage you to learn more about ALS here, and donate to www.alsa.org.