Five years later, viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge lives on

"People got involved, and then their friends got involved," said Jerry Dawson, CEO and President of ALS of North Carolina. "But they really made a huge difference in the course of this disease. It really changed the trajectory of the disease."

The challenge involves dumping, or having someone dump, a bucket of ice water over your head. The chilly performance is recorded and shared, and the "victim" challenges another friend.

With most challenges, money is donated to ALS research.

According to Dawson, donations from the Ice Bucket Challenge led to a commitment of more than $89 million for ALS research from The ALS Association. Worldwide, more than $200 million was raised.

The Ice Bucket Challenge eventually lost momentum after its peak popularity in the summer of 2014, when 17 million people around the world joined in.

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"We're learning more about what is causing ALS -- and as we learn more, the knowledge base grows," Dawson said. "We're able to design studies based on that. There are designer drugs being created. They're called anti-sense drugs that target genetic types of ALS."

A recent kick-off event in downtown Raleigh gave supporters another chance to cool off from the summer heat and make a difference for ALS patients and their families.

Dawson is hoping, in its fifth year, the viral challenge will continue to fill social media feeds in Raleigh and all over the world.

"Help us finish what we started," said Dawson, who says the advances that come out of new ALS research may also translate into answers for other neuro-degenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. "I mean, we have made so much progress since the [first] Ice Bucket Challenge. We have to finish the job."