Tickets for Rotary clubs’ 35th annual Great Drake Park Duck Race fundraiser go on sale, benefiting area nonprofits
(Update: adding video, comment from nonprofits)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Tickets for The Great Drake Park Duck Race went on sale Thursday, a fun way to raise greatly needed funds for area nonprofits - and at summer's end, root for your colorful duck to cross the finish line first and win a prize.
This year marks the 35th year of local Rotary clubs, businesses, and community members raising much-needed funds for local nonprofit organizations.
The Duck Race has raised over $2 million for numerous nonprofits since it began in the late 1980s.
On Sunday, Sept. 8, thousands of bright colored ducks will float down the river to determine the prize winners. Duck race raffle tickets are $5 and can be purchased at First Community, Mid Oregon, OnPoint, Oregon Community, and SELCO Credit Union locations and online at www.theduckrace.com.
Local Rotarians and the Duck mascot will also be out in the community promoting ticket sales throughout the summer. Look for them at familiar venues such as Newport Avenue Market.
Nineteen prizes with a total value over $18,500 will be raffled, including the Grand Prize of $5,000 cash! Additional prizes include Hoodoo Ski Area season passes, diamond earrings from Saxon’s Fine Jewelers, and much more.
The 2024 Duck Race ticket sale proceeds will benefit ReVillage Community Co-op Child Care Center, Boys & Girls Club of Bend, Family Kitchen, Bend/Redmond Habitat for Humanity and MountainStar Family Relief Nursery.
The Great Drake Park Duck Race is presented by local Rotary clubs and sponsored by Credit Unions Working Together (First Community, Mid Oregon, Oregon Community, OnPoint, and SELCO Credit Unions).
At Thursday's kickoff event, Noelle, a student at Boys & Girls Club of Bend, told us, "Funds raised support kids like me and all the fun things we do."
Erika Spaet, founder of Revillage Child Care Cooperative, said $20,000 to $25,000, "whatever is raised from the declaration will go to the signature project, which is to Revillage this year for affordable child care."
Kara Tachikawa, executive director of MountainStar Family Relief Nursery, said, "The Duck Race is a critical part of that. It allows us to keep children safe, work with families and help them get the skills and resources they need to be successful."
Scott Nordquist, vice president of resource development at Bend-Redmond Habitat for Humanity, said, "We build homes for hard-working families in Central Oregon, and those costs and construction costs and land costs have gone way up over the last few years. So this is critical funding that we can put towards getting more families into affordable homeownership."
The 2024 Duck Race prize sponsors include Hoodoo Ski Area, Saxon’s Fine Jewelers, Miller Lumber, Cascade Insurance Center, Les Schwab Tire Center, Loud & Clear A/V Systems LLC, Sounds Fast, Gary Lewis Outdoors, Ace Hardware, Stereo Planet, Marsh McLennan Agency, Johnson Brothers Appliances, PacificSource Medicare, Pamela J. Carty. Media and other sponsors include Central Oregon Daily News, News Channel 21, KQAK! 105.7, Carlson Sign, The Source Weekly, Cascade Business News, Bend Radio Group (Mix 100.7, KSJJ 102.9, Power 94, 92.9, BackyardBend, BackyardMedia), Combined Communications (99.7 The Bull, FM News 100.1 and AM 1110 KBND, Gold 107.7, Rock 98.3 The Twins, 101.7). In-kind support includes Carlson Sign, 3BK/Sign Pro, Humore.us, S&K Inflatable Rentals, and Smartz.
