The American Diabetes Association is enlisting the help of A-list celebrities to raise awareness about the disease with a Diabetes Dance Dare.
Much like the ALS Association’s Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral on social media in 2014, the dance dare asks participants to post a 23 second video (every 23 seconds someone in the United States is diagnosed with the disease) of themselves dancing to an inspired song of their choice, to donate to the association, and then tag three of their friends to do the same thing.
The American Diabetes Association says it has lined up a host of celebrities who are eager to shake their booties for campaign.
The ALS Ice Bucket challenge resulted in a 128 million dollars in donations. That is more than 100 million dollars in donations that were received the previous year.
One of the first celebrities to participate in Diabetes Dance Dare, which launched September 26, was chef and author Devin Alexander, but other stars have eagerly jumped on the bandwagon including Shaquille O’Neal. The former basketball star challenged R&B Usher, whose son has type 1 diabetes and the singer immediately accepted the dare.
The American Diabetes Association says it has lined up a host of celebrities who are eager to shake their booties for campaign..
The University of Richmond’s Institute on Philanthropy, program manager, Katherine Lang, notes that although a number of advocacy organisations have sought to develop their own versions of the Ice Bucket Challenge there are doubts as whether other organisations can replicate it.
She believes that the Ice Bucket Challenge was that it was so easy to do, but wonders whether the dance dare will be equally effective.
“When you sit down and count 23 seconds, it’s a long time, so it may not get as much traction as they want. Something that’s real quick and real easy would gain more traction. But I like the idea,” she said.
With more than 29 million Americans diagnosed with the disease and another 86 million diagnosed with prediabetes, there is no better time to bust a move and donate some cash to the American Diabetes Association.
