A thousand rubber duckies will be launched into Discovery Canyon on Sept. 6 to benefit local youth groups supported by the Optimist Club of Red Deer.
All the floating toys that go down the winding waterfall by 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, fundraising chair of the non-profit group.
The local Optimist Club has been around since 1960, supporting sports, arts and literacy group catering to children and teenagers under age 18.
This year, funds will be raised for Reading College, a Red Deer Public Schools program that helps all Grade-2 kids achieve grade-level literacy, and Youth HQ, which is helping at-risk young people.
Every dollar contributed will stay to help youths in this community, said Martin, who would like to give $5,000 to these groups and put remaining race proceeds into an Optimist kitty fund for other worthwhile causes.
“Over the years our club has done much to enhance life in Red Deer for our youth,” said Martin, but the club’s previous Salute to Youth dinners can’t be held going forward because of COVID-19 uncertainty, so the non-profit group has pressed on with a new venture — the duck race.
Organizers are planning a trial run soon to iron out possible kinks, said Martin.
The actual race, planned for Tuesday, Sept. 6, will be held through www.rafflebox.ca, in accordance with Alberta Lottery and Gaming rules. Martin said this includes having a photographer at the finish line — just in case it’s a photo-finish.
For more information, or to ‘purchase’ a $20 duck, please google ‘Red Deer Duck Race’ and visit the Rafflebox website.
lmichelin@reddeeradvocate.com
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