ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Raises $8.6 Million in a Single Day

The ALS Association received $8.6 million in donations Tuesday as proceeds from the ice bucket challenge continued to pour in at record rates.

The association has begun posting daily tallies from the fundraiser on its website, stating on Wednesday that since July 29 it had raised $31.5 million. That’s an $8.6 million jump over the previous day’s tally, and more than 16 times the amount it had received over the same period last year.

“Increased awareness and unprecedented financial support will enable us to think outside the box,” the ALS Association said in a statement. Celebrities, athletes and politicians ranging from the Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl to former President George W. Bush have taken the challenge, pouring buckets of ice water over their heads to raise ALS awareness.

The group added that it would use the donations to scale up research into the disease, including a recent pledge of $3.5 million to fund 21 new research projects, and provide more services to people currently suffering from ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.