I opened my Facebook timeline Friday morning to many more ice buckets and many more cold and wet souls.

I also had a message – a scarcity for a Facebooker who creeps quite a bit but whom is rarely active on the social network. To my surprise, I had been nominated for the #ALSIceBucketChallenge.

I didn’t expect to be nominated. I don’t have many friends on Facebook. I have fewer in the real world.

My Ice Bucket Challenge:

My nomination speaks to the vast reach of the Ice Bucket phenomenon. By Saturday afternoon, recipients of my nominations had completed the challenge as had a few of their recipients.

I wonder, is there anybody out there who hasn’t been challenged? Even those who don’t know the difference between a hashtag and an avatar have been taken to task in round about ways.

As one might expect, the ALS Association has made millions in donations since the Challenge commenced – $15.6 million since July 29. The Challenge has also educated us and brought tremendous awareness to the disease.

At last count, more than 11 million had viewed this touching video on YouTube.

The Challenge has also been met with a fair share of criticism.

For one, Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times wrote: “The first issue raised by the ice bucket challenge is whether this money is being put to its best use … It’s whether ALS warrants the attention, compared with other possible charitable causes.”

The argument is valid. There are thousands of other causes that deserve just as much of our attention, time and money.

That is one of the lessons to be culled from the Challenge: our generosity, sacrifice and goodwill are needed in many areas throughout the world. ALS is one. Let’s not forget about it. But let’s also learn about and develop compassion for many other worthy causes.

The next time you dump a bucket of ice cold water over your head, use the opportunity to tell the story of a charity or cause close to your heart. It may be orphaned children, endangered species or wounded veterans.

No matter what it is, challenge others to support you and your cause.