Special Olympics Michigan benefits from Duckling Derby
The Chippewa River was full of rubber ducks Sunday afternoon as more than 560 ducks raced to the finish line during the Duckling Derby.
The event was led by five students in Timothy Otteman’s RPL 430: Planning Recreation Programs and Events class, where all proceeds were donated to Special Olympics Michigan.
“Lots of friends and family have showed up for the event, so it’s been very successful,” said Torok, a Livonia junior.
The students were given an assignment to host an event in the community. The five group members, Torok, Valerie Gladd, Alexis Lewandowski, Shawn Knight and Kali Swan, randomly chose the duck derby as their assignment and agreed to donate the money to Special Olympics Michigan, because of their mutual interest.
“We’ve heard of the event previously and thought it was really interesting,” Torok said. “One of the other group members had a connection with Special Olympics Michigan and we’re all very interested in the Special Olympics, so it just seemed like the best place to donate to.”
First, second and third place winners of the race were given cash prizes; $100 for first, $75 for second and $50 for third place. Prizes for raffle ticket drawings and prizes for the best-colored duck pictures were also given out during the event.
“This event was such a good idea, because cash prizes and a good cause really encourage people to come,” said Holland junior Samantha Childress.
Winners of the race did not have to be present in order to claim their prize, allowing for more people to take part in the event and give to the charity.
“People were able to support the event without actually being here today," Childress said.
The students' assignment was to pick an event, find sponsors, find a place to hold the event and calculate out a budget.
“The event went really smoothly,” said Shelby senior Caitlin Bailey. “They’ve raised a lot of money and it all went to a really good cause"
