Red Cross releases ALS donation account

The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC), alongside Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA), has released a donation account for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients amid the splashy Ice Bucket Challenge craze, the Legal Evening News reported.

A leading staff member at CMDA said the donation account, in operation since Tuesday, is aimed at providing practical and long-term help to ALS patients.

A special committee under the CMDA will decide through evaluation which patient will receive the money, the staff member noted, following which applications will be submitted to a joint management committee formed by the RCSC and CMDA.

All donations and expenditure will be open to public scrutiny, the staff member promised.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which started in the US during July and went viral across the world, is dedicated to raising awareness over combating Lou Gehrig's disease.

The China-Dolls Care and Support Association (CDCSA), organizer of the challenge in China, said that as of 7 pm on Saturday, the challenge had raised 5.9 million yuan ($958,000) through Sina's micro-charity platform.