Yonkers Will Again Honor ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Creator At Empire City Casino

YONKERS, NY — Years after his passing the co-founder of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge will be honored in the most appropriate way imaginable.

Yonkers officials, Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts and the family of late Yonkers native Pat Quinn have announced the annual ALS Ice Bucket Challenge will be held Sunday, Aug. 9, at historic Yonkers Raceway at Empire City Casino. Festivities are set to begin at 12:30 p.m., with the ice bucket dump scheduled for about 1:15 p.m.

Participants are asked to pre-register online at YonkersNY.gov/IBC.

The event honors Quinn, who co-founded the Ice Bucket Challenge after his 2013 diagnosis with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS, at age 30. The challenge grew into a worldwide social media campaign, with more than 17 million people taking part by dumping ice water on their heads. Quinn died six years ago, and the campaign has continued to raise awareness and donations for ALS research and medical advances.

Patrick Quinn Sr. continues to lead the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge and Quinn for the Win Find Your Smile Foundation, a nonprofit that provides cash grants to local ALS patients and their families. Those grants help cover costs not paid by medical insurance, including in-home care, adaptable equipment, wheelchair adjustments and home renovations needed to accommodate wheelchairs.

“More than 13 years ago, my son started the challenge that changed the world’s understanding of ALS,” said Patrick Quinn, Sr. “Without the unwavering support from Mayor Mike Spano, Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts, and community members from Yonkers and beyond, there is no way we would have been able to keep the drum beat going to continue Pat’s legacy. Thank you to everyone who continues to support this annual tradition and I look forward to seeing everyone on Sunday, August 9.”

Mayor Mike Spano called the challenge “a powerful symbol of hope, awareness, and action in the fight against this devastating disease.” He encouraged residents to take part and thanked Patrick Quinn Sr. and Empire City Casino for their support of the event.

Empire City has hosted the annual challenge since 2015, except in 2020 because of the pandemic. The City of Yonkers donates buckets and the stage and organizes online registration, while Empire City underwrites the event cost and donates the space, staffing and more than 1,300 pounds of ice.

The 2026 Ice Bucket Challenge will be held outdoors trackside and will be free to attend. Walk-up registration will be available that day, though online advance registration is encouraged to secure a space and bucket. More information is available at www.empirecitycasino.com.