By Kelly RodriguezReady, set, QWAK! Hundreds are expected to turn out Oct. 8 to set sail an estimated 20,000 yellow rubber ducks in a blaze of glory on the warm waters of the San Antonio Riverwalk to benefit Haven for Hope and the Paseo del Rio Association.
“The Lucky Duck Race was born out of the opening of Haven for Hope, which is the homeless campus here at downtown San Antonio,” Hernandez said.
According to the Lucky Duck website, more than 3,600 people sleep on San Antonio’s streets. The majority of the people on the central city streets are in need of assistance and help.
The mission of Paseo del Rio Association, Hernandez said, is to “promote, protect and preserve the San Antonio Riverwalk” and “create a safe and healthy environment for downtown locals, residents and tourists.”
The association is in charge of coming up with new events on the Riverwalk.
“Last year, we were able to raise $26,000 for Haven for Hope, so we’re hoping to at least hit that goal or exceed it,” Hernandez said. The net proceeds are split between Haven for Hope and Paseo del Rio Association.
The ducks will launch at 5 p.m. The race will last roughly thirty minutes, after which the winners will be announced.
Following the race, “we will also have a free concert, which will include a performance from Two Tons of Steel, a local band, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.” Hernandez said.
The cost per duck to enter the race is $5. Participants can sign up until 4:30 p.m. the day of the event. Participants must complete an adoption paper found at www.riverwalkluckyduck.com.
Each duck is tagged with a number that corresponds to the number on the adoption email receipt or adoption paper. Owners of the first five ducks who cross the finish line will win a prize. Participants do not have to be present to win.
First Prize includes a new Nissan Versa. The second prize is a trip to San Diego, CA complete with hotel accommodations and tickets to Sea World. Third prize is a free night at the J. W Marriott with spa treatment, dinner and golf, and fourth prize is a laptop, printer and Internet service for a year.
Haven for Hope will accept donations including disposable diapers and any men’s, women’s or children’s undergarments for their residents at the event, which will bring the donors a step closer to earning prizes such as dinner certificates and hotel stays.
Haven for Hope breaks down donation amounts on its website this way: a $5 donation covers laundry for a month for a resident at Haven for Hope; a $25 donation buys a year’s worth of school supplies for a member in educational programs; a $100 donation provides 390 loads of clean towels and linens for members; and a $500 donation feeds a member three hot meals a day for two months.
The race has been located in all areas of the continental United State spanning from Chicago, San Diego, and is now looking to take San Antonio by storm for the second year in a row.
For more information, and to adopt a duck, visit www.RiverWalkLuckyDuck.com
