Winners of the 2024 Duck Race
A thousand rubber ducks will be launched into Discovery Canyon on September 6th to support local youth groups supported by the Optimist Club of Red Deer.
All floating toys going down the winding waterfall at River Bend Golf Course will be marked with numbers. The person whose duck crosses the finish line first will win up to $5,000, said Johns Martin, chair of fundraising for the nonprofit group.
The local Optimist Club has existed since 1960 and supports sports, arts and literacy groups for children and young people under the age of 18.
This year will raise funds for Reading College, a Red Deer Public Schools program that helps all second grade children achieve class-level literacy, and for Youth HQ, which helps at-risk young people.
Every dollar donated will stay to help youth in this community, said Martin, who would like to give $5,000 to these groups and donate the remaining race proceeds to an Optimist Kitten Fund for other good causes.
“Over the years our club has done a lot to improve the lives of our youth in Red Deer,” Martin said, but the club’s previous Salute to Youth dinners can no longer be held due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, so The non-profit organization The group has pushed ahead with a new project – the duck race.
Organizers are planning a dry run soon to iron out any mistakes, Martin said.
The actual race, scheduled for Tuesday September 6th, will be held under Alberta Lottery and Gaming Rules via www.rafflebox.ca. Martin said that includes having a photographer at the finish line – just in case it’s a photo finish.
For more information or to “buy” a $20 duck, please google “Red Deer Duck Race” and visit the Rafflebox website.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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