State Assemblymen Troy Singleton, D-7th District, became the latest New Jersey politician to benefit the ALS research by having a bucket of ice water dumped over head Monday afternoon, and he did so in Newton's Landing, in the McCay Way yard of Milt Sierra, who is stricken with the disease.

See the video here.

The social media-fueled “ice bucket challenge” is sweeping the nation, and New Jersey polititians who have taken the challenge include Gov. Chris Christie; U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-NJ; and the mayors of Camden, Newark, Jersey City and Paterson.

As a result, donations to the ALS Association, which finances research on the neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, spiked to $13.3 million for the period from July 29 to Aug. 17 of this year, compared to $1.7 million for the same period last year. ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig's disease for the famous first baseman who died of the disease in 1941.

The rules of the ice bucket challenge are simple: Take a video of ice water being dumped over your head (by yourself of someone else); post it on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter; and challenge a list of people to either do the same or donate $100 to ALS research. The original idea was either endure the ice water bath or make a donation, but many – particularly those prominent in politics, business or entertainment – do both.

Singleton was one: He donated a check for $1,000 to the ALS Association and challenged the entire New Jersey State Assembly – all the other 79 of them – to do the same.

“I'm not going to make the challenge and not make a donation,” he said.

For his drenching, Singleton wore a long-sleeve pink dress shirt, gray dress pants and tan shoes that looked a bit too good to get wet. He left his wallet with his father for safe-keeping.

The bucket of ice and water was hoisted up a stepladder and dumped by Jim Tracy of Harlow Place.

“Man, that's cold!” said Singleton, immediately afterwards. He changed into a “Team Milt” tee-shirt, which is part of Sierra's effort to raise $5,000 to fight ALS through the GoFundMe.com Web site. So far, contributions are at $1,130.

The brief event drew a small crowd of mostly camera-wielding neighbors plus Delanco Mayor Bill Dillenbeck and Township Committeewomen Kate Fitzpatrick and Marlene Jass. All are Republicans; Jass lives across the street from Sierra on McCay Way.

Singleton, 41, represents New Jersey's 7th Legislative District, which includes the Burlington County municipalities of Beverly City, Bordentown, Bordentown Township, Burlington City, Burlington Township, Cinnaminson Township, Delanco Township, Delran Township, Edgewater Park Township, Fieldsboro, Florence Township, Moorestown Township, Mount Laurel Township, Palmyra Borough, Riverside Township, Riverton Borough and Willingboro Township. The district's other assemblyman is Herbert Conaway of Delanco, a Democrat, and its state senator is Diane Allen of Edgewater Park, a Republican.

 Original article