BULLHEAD CITY — Thousands of little yellow rubber duckies will fill the swimming area at Bullhead Community Park on April 13 as River Fund, Inc., kicks off its newly re-named “Great Duck Pluck” fundraiser. The public can participate in the event for a chance to win prizes and help River Fund continue its mission to assist local individuals and families facing crisis or emergency situations by adopting one or many ducks.
The event – called “The Great Duck Derby” in 2023 – is a more spectator-friendly version of popular duck race-style events held over the years in the Bullhead City-Laughlin area. Rather than releasing a huge flock of rubber ducks upstream and waiting for them to arrive at the end of the racecourse, this year numbered ducks will be released into the cordoned-off swim area at the beach near the Bullhead Belle and Bullhead Area Chamber of Commerce and local officials and celebrities decked out in festive swimming costumes will don blacked-out goggles and jump in to pluck out the winning ducks. Prizes will be awarded to a minimum of 25 winners based on the individually numbered ducks. Each person who adopts ducks will be assigned duck numbers via a random number generator. Winners do not have to be present to win.
Another change this year is technological: all duck tickets will be sold online via a secure link on the River Fund website. These changes were instituted to make the event more environmentally friendly; there’s a dramatically reduced opportunity for ducks to get lost – reducing potential trash and navigation hazards on the river and taking away someone’s chance at winning a prize – and online ticket sales and emailed receipts means no tickets will need to be printed, reducing the event’s carbon footprint and staffing requirements.
The Great Duck Pluck will coincide with Bullhead City Farmers Market at Community Park, which runs from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 13. The April Farmer’s Market is the “Cottontail Market” to celebrate Easter.
“We’re calling it a ‘fun-raiser,’” said River Fund President and CEO Mike Conner. “We want everyone to have a quackin’ good time while they’re helping their friends and neighbors facing a variety of crises.”
River Fund is among the Tri-State area’s premier emergency assistance nonprofit organizations and all proceeds from the event remain in the area.
“We serve the area from Golden Shores to Golden Valley and everywhere in between, including Bullhead City, Laughlin and Needles,” Conner explained. “All the money we raise stays in the area, that’s why our motto is ‘Locals Helping Locals.’”
Duck Pluck prizes include $2,000 for the first plucked, $1,000 for the second and $500 for the third. Prizes will be awarded to at least 25 winners and also include gift certificates and gift cards. Awards will be presented at the patio of the Bullhead Belle, which will be open from 11 a.m. serving a variety of food and beverage options.
Duck tickets are $10 for a “single quacker,” with discounts for multiple purchases. A “six quack” – which includes seven ducks – is $60, a “quacker’s dozen” of 15 ducks is $120, and a “quackin’ flock” of 25 ducks is $200. Tickets may be purchased using a debit or credit card through the secure payment interface on the River Fund’s website, https://riverfundinc.com. Each duck adoption transaction will be confirmed with an email receipt by email and the appropriate number of ducks will be assigned through a random number generator before the “Duck Pluck” begins. River Fund is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit and contributions – including adopting a duck – may be tax-deductible.
In 2023, the inaugural duck-themed fundraiser generated nearly $29,000 to help River Fund continue to provide services to locals in need of assistance.
Area youngsters are invited to get in on the action through an art competition. Area school children will have the opportunity to submit coloring contest entries showing ducks either having fun or helping people. Each public and charter school will be invited to have students from kindergarten to the sixth grade enter the free contest. Schools include those in Bullhead City, Fort Mohave, Mohave Valley, Topock, Laughlin and Needles. Winners for the coloring contest also will be announced on April 13, but do not have to be present to win.
Sponsorships for “The Great Duck Pluck” are available for $250,providing area businesses and organizations the opportunity to have their logo included on event marketing materials and on the River Fund website and social media. Sponsors also receive banner space at the event site, inclusion on a large “Thank You” banner displayed at the event and on the website, inclusion in local news sources and five duck adoption tickets.
“All duck adoption funds and your sponsorship of $250 is directed to our unrestricted fund, which allows us to work outside the limits of specialized grant funds in so many ways to help people prevent or resolve their crisis issues,” Conner explained.
River fund’s specialized grant programs include Cancer Connection Fund assisting cancer patients; Starlight Final Rest Fund helping families with final expenses after the death of a loved one; Memory Care Fund assisting individuals and families dealing with cognitive issues; Veterans Assistance Fund helping military veterans in need; and the Anna Circle Fire Fund assisting those affected by the tragic fire in Bullhead City last fall that resulted in the death of five children and displacement of two families.
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