Tag Archives: ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Plant a Tree for Groot

Vin Diesel Planting a Tree for Groot before doing his ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (photo (C) Vin Diesel, from his facebook page

Vin Diesel Planting a Tree for Groot before doing his ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, photo from his facebook page

You may have heard that James Gunn, director of Guardians of the Galaxy, nominated Vin Diesel for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.  In his video, before taking the challenge, Vin shook a tree he had just planted and challenged James Gunn to also “Plant a Tree for Groot.”

Not long after the video was posted, Vin Diesel followed it up with this photo on his facebook page of him planting his own tree for Groot.

For those interested in planting for Groot, consider growing a tree from a cutting (take a tour around google for more information) you can frequently get a cutting for free from someone with the appropriate type of tree, and with a little time and effort on your part a beautiful tree can be grown.  (And for those who have already seen the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, let’s just say I think Groot would approve of the cuttings approach to planting a tree for Groot.)

The Ice-Bucket Challenge

You’ve seen the Ice-Bucket Challenge going around social media?  To say it has gone viral would be an understatement.  And I can honestly say I believe it has raised awareness that people are trying to raise funds for ALS (at one time called Lou Gehrig’s Disease.) and that people are having a lot of fun doing it.

But do you understand how it got started, and why?  Someone shared the story with me today, and it was not what I expected.  Somehow I thought a group had rallied together to do this, but that it was all prompted and inspired by one young man was far more powerful than I had imagined.

Take a few minutes to watch this story ESPN put together, and next time you are watching one of those Ice Bucket videos… do not just watch, do not just laugh with the folks who are having fun, remember this is about raising funds and awareness for a crippling disease, to help people who can not lift that bucket for themselves.

Countless people have participated in the ice Bucket Challenge to date.  A video pops up on facebook seemingly hourly, whether a friend of a celebrity has just taken the time to do it.  Surf on over to youtube and type Ice Bucket Challenge followed by the name of your favorite celebrity and if they have participated you are likely to find the video.  Andrea Bocelli, Kerry Washington, John Barrowman, Vin Diesel, Stephen Amell, Robbie Amell, Hugh Jackman and the cast of his broadway show Pan, Alex O’Loughlin, Daniel Dae Kim and Jorge Garcia are just a few of the celebrities who have posted their videos on facebook participating and keeping the challenges going.