If you’ve been on Instagram, you’ve likely seen people getting cold water and ice dumped on their heads and then nominating their friends to do the same. The University of South Carolina’s (USC) Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) Club’s Ice Bucket Challenge has gone viral and spread rapidly across the country. So, where did this trend begin, and why is everyone doing it?
The trend was started by an Instagram reel posted by the USC MIND Club on March 31, 2025, when USC’s Mental Illness Needs Discussion (MIND) club posted an Instagram reel, challenging their friends to participate and donate.
This is not the first time an Ice Bucket Challenge has blown up. In the summer of 2014, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge became popular on social media, with celebrities from Mark Zuckerberg to LeBron James taking part in it.
The MIND club revived the challenge to raise money for its collaboration with Active Minds, an organization that advocates for suicide prevention and mental health awareness. As of April 22nd, the organization has raised $246,016 towards its goal of equipping youth and young adults with resources, training, and skills to advocate for lasting mental health change. In contrast, the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised 115 million.
“I didn’t know what the Ice Bucket Challenge was at first,” freshman Tallulah Evans said. I thought it was just a funny trend, but then I realized what it was for, and its cause gave it purpose.”
