VALDOSTA —
Participants in Saturday’s Eighth Annual Derby Duck Race had a one in 3,000 chance to win $1 million dollars, but were 100 percent guaranteed to help eliminate child hunger in South Georgia.
This year, about $37,000 was raised for Second Harvest of South Georgia, a non-profit organization serves 2,300 children an evening in 30 counties across the lower portion of the state. Over 5,200 ducks were adopted and five corporations paid $1,000 each to sponsor a specialized derby duck. Corporate winners received a trophy for the year and the requisite bragging rights that are included.
This year, HELOC the DUCK with First State Bank took home the gold from defending champions Sunset Farms.
“A lot of folks came out this year and we were very fortunate to hit our goal of 5,000 sponsored ducks,” explained Second Harvest of South Georgia CEO Frank Richards. “Our key goal is to get a center in all 30 regions so these kids have a safe environment and are not out on the streets being exposed to things that are dangerous.”
More than 10,000 ducks were released at Wild Adventures Splash Island Paradise River Saturday morning for the big race. Sesame Street’s Ernie would have been proud to see so many rubber duckies with cool shades racing to end empty stomachs in South Georgia youth.
With the funds generated from Saturday’s event, Second Harvest plans to add about 1,100 new children to their hot meal list. Over 17,000 of these meals are served every month at after school programs, churches and community centers.
“Child hunger is a huge issue in our country; About 30 percent of children in Lowndes County go to sleep hungry and 53 percent of the children in places like Albany go without a meal,” said Richards. “These communities really count on what we do every single day because a lot of them would go hungry if we weren’t there to provide them with a hot meal.”
The $5 donation for one duck will feed one child a hot meal each evening for one week through Second Harvest’s Kids Cafe programs. Two ducks provide a 55-pound bag of food for a family of four. Five ducks ensure a senior citizen has a hot meal each day for a week, and 10 ducks equal a week of milk for 100 children.
As with past events, part of the draw is the possibility of a mega-prize of $1 million, courtesy of First State Bank & Trust; a first prize of a $3,000 shopping spree at Steel’s Jewelry; a second prize of a seven -day Carnival Cruise Lines trip for two, courtesy of Executive Travel; a third prize of a quail hunt for four at Lenox River Ranch; a fourth prize of Sunset Farms for a year; a fifth prize of Starbucks for a year; a sixth prize of $1,000 cash; a seventh prize of four Wild Adventures passes and a stay at the Holiday Inn; an eighth prize of a Super Suds Car Wash package; a ninth prize of Chick-Fil-A for a year and a Pepsi tailgate package; tenth prize of Brusters ice cream for a year, a portrait setting with Wes Sewell Photography, a gift certificate from Classic Art and Frame.
Nicole Steel with Steel’s Jewelry said it was a great opportunity to unite with the community to help end child hunger at every level of sponsorship.
“It’s all about us creating something for the community,” said Wild Adventures General Manager Greg Charbeneau. “We have a great park - we have concerts, a water park, roller coasters and a zoological operation and it’s our way to give something back in return to the families. We really want to focus on families and children because that’s what we’re all about, creating memories for families to bring them closer together, so this program really helps us focus on those in need.”
For more on this story and other local news, subscribe to The Valdosta Daily Times e-Edition, or our print edition.
