Acworth Police Chief, Lieutenant Accept Ice Bucket Challenge

Acworth’s Chief of Police Wayne Dennard joined Lt. Charles Ball in accepting the Ice Bucket Challenge, a wildly popular fund and awareness raising phenomena that is doing wonders for the ALS Association.

According to the commonly-accepted rules of the challenge, a challenged person has 24 hours to produce a video that includes a verbal acceptance of the challenge, the nomination of three other individuals or organizations to complete the challenge, and the all-important dumping of a bucket of ice water on themselves. Failure to do so means the person must donate $100 to the ALS Association. Those who do complete the challenge only have to pay $10.

Both of the Acworth police officers so challenged have donated to the ALS Association and have also donated money to the seventh annual Covering the Bases fundraiser, put on by the department.

So far, the Ice Bucket Challenge has raised $15.6 million for the ALS Association since it was launched in late July, walloping last year’s donation figures for the same time period. ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive and ultimately fatal degenerative neurological condition.

Covering the Bases is a 24-hour marathon fundraiser that benefits Horizon Field, a synthetic rubberized field that allows people with various disabilities to participate in sports. Money raised by Covering the Bases goes towards maintenance of the field and adjacent playground, plus the expansion of programs at the facility.

Before the officers were dunked, they challenged their colleagues in the department and in other local police departments to take the Ice Bucket Challenge. Dennard challenged Smyrna Police Chief David Lee, Kennesaw Police Chief Bill Westenberger, West Point Police Chief Tony Bailey, and Acworth Police’s Chaplain Lee Gambrell.

Ball is staying within the department, issuing challenges to Sgt. Brian Hunt, Captain Mark Cheatham, and Captain Stan Melton.