I’ve heard the groans and the remarks: “What’s the big deal with people dumping ice water on their heads?” With $31.5 million raised as of Wednesday for ALS, compared with $1.9 million in the same three weeks of 2013, it’s a big deal.

Awareness of ALS — a disease once nearly invisible unless associated with “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” — is now sweeping the nation. Why? Because we need to associate things with people. That’s why the celebrity faces and personal challenges on social media for the Ice Bucket Challenge are so effective at bringing in money.

Just as important is the hope and healing everyone is providing for those families suffering from this insidious disease.

My father, Edward E. Stark Sr. of Butler, passed away Aug. 7 from ALS. Just as the viral challenge was blowing up my social media, I was able to share with my dad about his friend James Neal’s very personal ALS Ice Bucket Challenge before he passed hours later.

This is helping my children heal. They think every bucket of ice water dumped on someone’s head is for their Pappy. And for this, I am so very thankful.

Take this challenge: Do just two things on this list, because understanding how this disease impacts those who suffer from it creates empathy which is so very valuable.

-Pick up a 10-pound weight. Now imagine that is a spoon and move it back and forth repeatedly.

-Sit in a chair for just 15-minutes moving nothing but your eyes. Nothing. No speaking, no scratching, no shifting your weight, no changing the channel. Imagine this being your life 24/7, your only life.

-Using none of your own muscles, have someone else get you dressed and brush your teeth — and you cannot spit on your own or swallow. How did that make you feel?

-Before your next meal, take a good, long look at the food. Now, imagine never being able to taste that — or any other food or drink — for the rest of your life.

-Put two marshmallows in your mouth and have a conversation with a friend. How many times did you have to repeat yourself? How did you feel?

-Strap weights to your ankles and climb a flight of stairs, taking two at a time. That’s the kind of strength it takes for someone with ALS to tackle the stairs on a good day. That’s the beginning stages for some.

-Sitting in a chair not using any muscles including your vocal chords, tell your loved one how much they mean to you.

I don’t think I need to go any further on how someone with ALS suffers daily. Donate today.