phenomenon erupted when friends and family of form boston college baseball captain 29-year-old pete frateshallenging everyone they knew to make a statement while shivering. his father proud. >> it proves the goodness of human beings and the power of people, the power of positivity. >> reporter: the former baseball captain's wife -- >> this isn't just your elderly grandfather that gets als, it is really -- it is a, it can be young people. >> reporter: pete frates was diagnosed two years ago. he's paralyzed now and can't speak on his own, but his message reached so many. the massachusetts chapter of als association telling us they've been flooded with calls, donations up a stunning 6,000%. frates' family is overwhelmed. >> who knew that all we needed was a bucket and a bag of ice to create all the awareness we ever needed. >> reporter: david muir, abc news, new york. >> you know, we saw ethel kennedy at the beginning of that package. and it seems she's thrown out the invite to obama, the challenge. >> that's right. the president vacationing there on cape cod as well got the challenge. last i

the challenge comes from 29-year-old pete frates, a former boston college baseball star who since 2012 has battled the terminal disease that destroys the body's motor functions. >> als is, you know, all we talk about really. but to see other people talking about it, it's like mind blowing. it's like all these people all of a sudden are paying attention to something so, so important to us. >> reporter: the big chill is spreading online. martha stewart did the brain freeze, the u-mass med school picked it up, so did the mascots of the boston celtics and bruins, and the kennedy clan including ethel kennedy who challenged president obama to take the plunge. when savannah guthrie doused matt lauer on "today," he had a challenge too. >> i am calling out brian williams. >> reporter: about that challenge we are told stay tuned america. which brings us to yours truly who challenges everyone to raise their awareness of als and challenge someone else too. results are pouring in. the als association has raised $1.35 million in the same two-week period where it only raised $22,000 year. from a buck

este joven de 27 aÑos de edad, inicio el exitoso desafio para apoyar a su amigo pete frates, quien padeca esclerosis. si el mundo se uniera con esta misma vehemencia, muchos de los problemas que aquejan a nuestra sociedad posiblemente mejoraran. vo cesar --este reto que esta dando la vuelta al mundo nos lleva a nuestra pregunta de esta noche. --esta usted de acuerdo con el reto del balde de agua? --participe en el foro y su respuesta podria ser compartida en este noticiero. --lo nico que tiene que hacer es ir a nuestra pgina de facebook "telemundo 48"... all escribe su comentario... y listo!... --recuerde: facebook diagonal telemundo48... cesar ---un accidente aereo dejo sin vida al piloto causando tambien un incendio de maleza.. take vo ---el siniestro se reporto en una zona remota cerca de la ciudad de novato.... --segun las autoridades, la busqueda se inicio inmediatamente despues de reportado el incidente, sin embargo, fue en la maÑana cuando al descubrir un incendio de maleza se percataron que en ese lugar estaba la nave siniestrada. --aun se desconocen las causas del accidente. cesa

i did it earlier and it's for the pete frates foundation recognize als.uy was the baseball captain and was diagnosed with als and it's a big deal. so i challenged you and nikki burdine challenged derek. so are you guys ready? >> it's not that bad. i'll tell you what. they're ready. >> can we do a countdown or something? >> can we just make sure we don't use any word you can't say on television? >> okay. >> yea! that's what i'm talking about. >> oh! >> now you guys can challenge someone else. >> oh! >> i think that dave owens should be the next victim. >> there you go. >> kristen berset. game on, baby. >> here's the deal. i have to pay $10 for both those guys because they did it, okay? go to our website www.wusa9.com. the link is there. >> oh. >> i love you, top. >> it's okay, later, later. just a couple showers over the weekend, not a washout. we'll get some towels for these guys. have a good weekend. go to our website www.wusa9.com and contribute, please. good night. >> my wet t-shirt contest. cj ( band playing "late show" theme ) >> from the heart of br

families and individuals in boston and new york and who two of them have the disease, pat quinn and pete frates. pete is a 29-year-old and he and his families really got things going and took it viral in massachusetts. so last week, in the middle of boston common. this week all over the country. >> where did they come up with the idea? >> that's a good question. i'm not sure. >> that's a good story. we will have to investigate that one. >> definitely. >> how much money have you raised total? >> the a.l.s. association received $9.5 million as of this morning. and that's compared to about $1.5 million of donations during the same time period last year. we really started noticing an uptick july 29th and from there it's grown every single day until the $9.5 million we have today. >> so the way it works is that if you do the ice bucket challenge, technically, you don't have to donate money. is that a little counterintuitive? >> you know, i think the numbers speak for themselves because i think people are doing, taking the challenge, challenging others to dump ice on their head or donate. but what pe

the challenge comes from 29-year-old pete frates,

it's all because of this man, 29-year-old pete frates. >> we never would have ever thought somethingnow we're in the middle of this storm and it's really exciting. >> pete frates was diagnosed with als, lou gehring's disease in march 2012. at one time the captain of the boston college baseball team, he married his fiancee julie just a few months after his diagnosis. shortly thereafter he began speaking to raise awareness and spoke with charlie rose. >> i accepted it and realized i had to make strides and get the word out. i appreciate you having me here. >> reporter: though today pete is unable to speak, he's still getting the word out. taking a cue from a similar breast cancer awareness campaign, pete started using his popular website blog and facebook page to encourage als ice bucket challenge. the idea, douse yourself with freezing water and challenge others to do the same. if they don't comply within 24 hours, they must donate to the charity of your choice. even celebrities are getting in on the act. there's "hunger games" actress elizabeth banks. singer lance bass. cleveland ind

elderly grandfather that gets als, it is really -- it is a, it can be young people. >> reporter: pete fratesage reached so many. the massachusetts chapter of als association telling us they've been flooded with calls, donations up a stunning 6,000%. frates' family is overwhelmed. >> who knew we needed a bucket and bag of ice to create the awareness we ever needed. >> david muir, abc news, new york. >> we saw ethel kennedy at the beginning of the package. it seems that she has thrown out the invite to obama. the challenge. >> the president vacationing there on cape cod as well. got the challenge. last i heard, the white house still formulating a rinse to that one. so we shall see if some higher ups get in on this ice. don't expect, maybe, ice. us. >> should i challenge you? challenged. >> announcer: this is abc's "world news now" -- informing insomniacs for two decades. >>> making news in america this morning, tragic loss, robin williams, the cherished comedian, found dead in his home. the latest on the investigation, reaction from his daughter overnight and a look at his most memorable momen

the a-l-s *ice bucket challenge* was started in july by pete fratees, a 29-year-old former boston college, diagnosed with lou gehrig's disease two years ago. he called his friends and challenged them to videotape themselves as they dump ice water over their heads. if they didn't respond to the challenge within 24 hours they had to send a hundred dollars to a-l-s research. >> now that something happened it's raising the awareness. ever but it was on board from the start. he really inspired people. the way he has dealt with it has been more graceful and more inspiring than any story i can imagine. that's what is the important part in my opinion. >>since those first challenges they've raised more than four million dollars to fight the fatal disease. >> that one is the slow burn. >> i saw pat taking part yesterday. >> with his dog? >> he dumped the water on his dog ... he did write a check as well. >> it is raising money. >> dan is next. >> right on set. >> and going to write the check. demetrius, we've got you forgot but it's your birthday. happy birthday! 29 years old. and maybe a few years

he was a close friend of pete frates.tes is the inspiration behind the social media ice bucket campaign helping raise awareness and money for lou gehrig's disease. griffin died after diving into a nantucket harbor. officers tried to revive him but he was later pronounced dead at the hospital. i'm leland vittert. now back to "sunday morning futures" with maria bartiromo. >>> thank you so much, leland. ukraine reporting one of its fighter jets has been shot down by pro-russian separatists. the plane was apparently supporting ukrainian ground troops, forcing their way into a rebel-controlled city. meanwhile, a russian aid convoy being checked with kievs suspicious the vehicles might be cover for military intervention as the crisis escalates between east and west. are we seeing the beginnings of of a new cold war? joining me now is fox news contributor, marvin california be. during his time at nbc, chief diplomatic correspondent and as a moderator of "meet the press." good to have you on the program. what's your sense of what

pete frates, robbed the former baseball captain of his ability to walk and talk.was his idea, though, along with fellow als patient pat quinn to start the challenge. >> it's really beyond anything we could have imagined. >> reporter: his wife julie says the campaign is a game changer. >> before this so many people just did not understand what als was. we need people to rally around this cause and if people will keep pouring buckets. ice over their head. >> president obama would rather give than get drenched. >> the white house says the president has declined ethel kennedy's challenge says the president appreciates the kennedys thinking of him but his contribution to the effort will be monetary. the widow posted a video of herself and family members accepting that challenge. >> let me have it, boys. i appreciate that. >> that is pete carroll, the head coach of the super bowl champion seattle seahawks accepting the ice bucket challenge. they kind of missed him with part of it. i think they should do it repeatedly. commissioner roger goodell challenged carroll after

tell us about pete frates. >> someone we came to know through the program. know, someone who had a great idea that seems to be paying off in a big way. this is a great -- it's nice to see the support that's ben ra generated and the numbers indicate how much power an individual can have to raise awareness and funds for a disease like a.l.s. happy to be a part of it. >> reporter: everybody ready to take the challenge? >> yeah! >> reporter: here we go. we're going to get a big three, two, one, everybody. ready to go? three, two, one! >> reporter: all right! we've got doug williams here, he'd like to issue something back to cnbc. doug? >> well, guy back in the studio, i know it's warm and dry back there, we're about to change that for you. >> i was afraid. >> challenge back in the studio, participate with us. get ready for some ice. >> guys, the challenge issued to cnbc. will anybody step up? back to you. >> we'll just have to wait and see there, meg. that was great. congratulations, everybody there doing this for, as we said, a great cause. i urge all of you to

credit for the idea goes to 29- year old pete frates, a former star athlete at boston college, who wasgnosed with a.l.s. in 2012. but not everyone approves. officials in drought-stricken california are urging people to "use good judgment" on whether it's a wise use of water. and one mass "challenge" event turned tragic yesterday. two firefighters in campbellsville, kentucky, had just sprayed water on a college band when their ladder got too close to a high-voltage power line. the two were badly burned, with one in critical condition. still, the social media craze has raised more than $53 million dollars for the a.l.s. association since the end of july. that's up from $2 million in the same period last year. >> woodruff: for a look at the challenge and the charity at its center, i'm joined by barbara newhouse, president and ceo of the a.l.s. association. to the "newshour". >> thank you, judy. >> woodruff: to this has taken off hike a storm. did you have any idea when pete and his family issued the challenge that it was going to lead to this? >> no, there's no way. i don't think anybody

pete frates was diagnosed in 2012 and robbed the former boston college baseball captain of his abilityough, along with fellow als patient pat quinn to start the challenge. >> it's really beyond anything we could have imagined. >> reporter: his wife julie says the campaign is a game changer. >> before this so many people just did not understand what als was. we need people to rally around this cause and if people keep pouring bucks of ice over their head, then so be it. >> it's great. it's bringing so much attention to als. >> it sure is. >> and there are other charities involved. a former legendary coach at n.c. state who passed away from breast cancer, people were doing it for her. a lot of charities are doing it. >> and now the president was challenged by ethel kennedy. he says he won't do it but will make a big donation. michael strahan sent us this video. he apparently took it on full tilt. >> took it off, yeah. off. >> everybody, i accept roger goodell's challenge, ice bucket als challenge. whoo. here we go. i accept it. here we go, everybody. aaagh. oh! my goodness. whoo. that wa

. >> reporter: the disease robbed former boston college baseball captain pete frates of his ability toe julie co-created the als ice bucket challenge with friend and fellow als patient pat quinn. >> hi, pat. >> reporter: in just two weeks the initiative has attracted more than 106,000 new donors to one of the world's leading als research organizations and the result, a record-shattering $5.7 million pouring in. that's just the beginning. now it's "gma's" turn. happily accepting the ice bucket challenge from a familiar and freezing face. >> oooh. a. agh. i challenge my "gma" team, yes, every one of you, freezing. >> it's been incredible to watch all week around this country of the we wanted to give a quick thank you to pat quinn. let us shake your hand, one of the founders of this whole idea. extraordinary what you've done to raise awareness for als. we want to ask ginger what the forecast is outside here. ginger? >> what's the forecast? >> yeah, guys, i see an ice storm in the forecast. >> ice storm. >> it is right here. >> let's get this party started. >> oh. >> go. >> is everybody --

. >> it started because of this baseball player, young baseball player in massachusetts pete frates soould definitely remember his name when we talk about how this all started. as we're all talking about celebrities that are doing it. this was because of one young guy who was a star baseball player, i believe at boston college. >> at boston college. >> i should tell you, too, that number was just updated this morning. it's $9.5348. that's great news. >> he -- >> how old is he? >> 20 something. >> 29. >> he's 29. >> diagnosed two years ago. yeah. >> they have no idea yet what causes -- i mean you can't look for a gene to try to fix until you figure out what the underlying -- >> right. and biogen is working on that actually. >> do you know -- >> it affects the nerves and the brain and the spinal cord which is where the nerves are. but also what biogen is doing a huge genome sequencing project trying to figure out what is causing this. >> go backwards. find out where the anomalies are and the geno type for people that actually come up with because it's not strictly hereditary. >> right. >