We have been impressed by how both the CERGE-EI and ISET communities have banded together to respond to various disasters in recent years. As the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge reminds us, however, there are many disasters that occur each and every day on an individual basis, whether they be ALS, MS, Alzheimer’s, Cerebral Palsy, or River Blindness, to name a few. These affflications may be more easily forgotten because they happen every day, but they are as equally devastating to those affected as the floods and tsunamis that get the big headlines.

Therefore, we challenge both the ISET and the CERGE-EI communities, by whatever means they decide, to adopt one such cause for the next month. The rules (it’s our challenge after all) are these:

1.  Each community should organize itself in the way it chooses, but it is our hope that the effort will be student-led but widely adopted.

2. The end results should be an Ice Bucket “chain.” For example, see this link.

3. Be creative, but do NOT do anything dangerous!

4. To participate in the chain a community member must donate according to their means to the charity their group selects. It doesn’t matter if it’s only a very small amount, it’s something.

5. The event must be videoed and posted.

6. The posting deadline is 1 AM September 17 in Tbilisi or 11 PM September 16 in Prague.

7. For whichever community creates the longest chain (number of participants, not total amount contributed), Barbara and Randy will match their donation to the cause that community (CERGE- EI or ISET) selects* up to $1,000 and, since this is in response to an ALS initiative, make an equal donation to an ALS charity.

Watch a video of this challenge here.

If you want to see Gega and me getting dunked you can here:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDpGjkbhUcY

Randy Filer

President, CERGE-EI Foundation

*Randy and Barbara reserve the right to select a particular organization based on US tax-exempt status and our reading of effectiveness (ratio of program expenses to administrative costs).