2024 Ice Bucket Challenge Drenches Crowd At Empire City Casino

YONKERS, NY — The annual ALS Ice Bucket Challenge hosted by Empire City Casino took place trackside at the historic Yonkers Raceway located at Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts in Westchester.

This year, the festivities marked a milestone, as organizers and participants celebrated 10 years of the global phenomenon.

Yonkers native Pat Quinn, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2013 at age 30 and died in 2020, co-founded the global event in 2014. The silly fundraiser was created by Quinn, Anthony Senerchia of Pelham, and Quinn's friend Peter Frates, to raise awareness and donations for ALS. Someone challenges another person to pour a bucket of ice water over their head within a 24-hour period, or donate $100 to an ALS charity.

In the decade since, the one-of-a-kind fundraiser has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in private donations for ALS research and medical advances to extend the lives of ALS patients.

In 2018, Quinn told Patch, "I'm extremely proud to know ‘Quinn For The Win’ and Yonkers continue to fight ALS together. We live by the mantra, ‘Every August Until A Cure.’"

Leading the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge for another year was Quinn’s father, Patrick Quinn, Sr., who continues to pay tribute to his son and ensure his mission continues. Quinn’s nonprofit organization, Quinn for the Win Find Your Smile Foundation, continues to have a significant impact at both local and national levels.

ALS, often referred to as "Lou Gehrig's disease," is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Quinn lost his battle with ALS in November 2020.. While the prognosis for ALS patients 80 years after Lou Gehrig was diagnosed remains the same, technology now exists to keep those living with ALS alive longer. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 5,000 individuals are newly diagnosed with ALS across the U.S. annually.

In the ten years since it was founded, ALS Ice Bucket Challenges have also increased the awareness of this deadly disease globally. Ten years ago, when the challenge was just beginning, only 80 multidisciplinary clinics for ALS were open around the country. Now, more than 240 are open nationally where ALS patients can see a pathologist and all the medical disciplines they need all in one place.

This year’s participants included New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, New York State Assembly Member J. Gary Pretlow, New York State Assembly Member Nader Sayegh, Westchester County Board of Legislator José Alvarado, Westchester County Board of Legislator James Nolan, Westchester County Board of Legislator Vedat Gashi, Westchester County Board of Legislator David Tubiolo, Yonkers City Mayor Mike Spano, Yonkers City Council President Lakisha Collins-Bellamy, Yonkers City Council Majority Whip Deana R. Robinson (1st District), Yonkers City Council Member Corazon Pineda Isaac (2nd District), Yonkers City Council Member Tasha Diaz (3rd District), Yonkers City Council Member Majority Leader John Rubbo (4th District), and Mount Vernon City Council President Cathlin Gleason.

“As we commemorate a decade of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, it is more important than ever to come together in support of those battling this devastating disease,” Stewart-Cousins said. “This event not only honors the memory of my friend Pat Quinn, but also embodies the resilience and solidarity of our community.”

For more information on Quinn and the fight against ALS, go to Quinn4theWin.com.