Mayor Marty Walsh Accepts Ice Bucket Challenge

Mayor Marty Walsh became the latest notable Bostonian to take part in the ice bucket challenge, an initiative to raise awareness for Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS).

Walsh posted a video on Facebook Wednesday evening of himself completing the challenge, and also called on local journalists to take the challenge.

Here is video of Walsh doing the ice bucket challenge:

The ice bucket challenge, which has become a trend on social media, is an initiative to raise awareness and money for ALS. The initiative was started by former Boston College baseball player Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2012, and another ALS patient Pat Quinn, both of whom began issuing the challenge to others through social media, according to Mashable.

Those who accept the challenge douse themselves with a bucket of ice water and then nominate others to take the challenge. Those who are nominated then have 24 hours to complete the challenge and if they don’t, they then must donate $100 to an ALS charity.

So far, people in Boston are stepping up to the challenge with everyone from Julian Edelman and the Bruins to doctors at UMass Medical School soaking themselves in ice water.

City Council member Michael Flaherty also jumped in on the challenge and called on his fellow city council colleagues to join him. Flaherty took it to another level, though, by using an excavator to complete the challenge.

Here is video of Flaherty taking the challenge:

Check out scenes from our citywide Boston.com #IceBucketChallenge that took place Thursday afternoon in Copley Square.