Many internet sensations aimed at raising awareness seem to end up doing more bad than good, such as the Neknomination phenomenon, but the Ice Bucket challenge, which is the new “thing” to do, has actually managed to generate some serious support for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

The viral sensation has already accumulated $15.6 million so far and attracted the likes of Bill Gates, Oprah, and Mark Zuckerberg, so we can pretty much say it’s been an outstanding (and bizarre) success; but where did it all start?

Chris Kennedy, a golfer in Sarasota, Fla., was nominated by a friend to participate in the Ice Bucket Challenge, which at the time, had nothing to do with ALS. The campaign was not tied to any specific charity, and participants would select a charity of their choice for donations. Kennedy’s friend had selected a charity that benefits a young child with cancer in the area. Kennedy, passing the challenge along, then selected ALS because a relative (his wife’s cousin, Anthony) is suffering from the disease.

The challenge then spread like wildfire throughout the town, and the ALS Association even noted an unexplained uptick in donations between July and August.

“What started out as a small gesture to put a smile on Anthony’s face and bring some awareness to this terrible disease has turned into a national phenomenon and it is something we never could have dreamed of,” Kennedy said.

Read the full story on TIME.