QUEENSBURY -- Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd stood on a bridge as they dumped 200 rubber ducks into an indoor lazy river.
And so began The Great Escape’s fourth annual Daffy Duck Charity Rubber Duck Race on Sunday.
Helped by the current, the ducks wound around the indoor water park’s lazy river as they floated toward the finish line.
The winning duck, marked with a black number 55 on its back, got its owner a one-night stay at the Six Flags Great Escape Lodge & Indoor Water Park for their family of four, but the true winners were the Greater Adirondack Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Double H Hole in the Woods Camp for critically ill children.
The duck race raised more than $1,100 to be split between the two charities, and more than 50 children and families with the organizations enjoyed a free day at the water park afterward.
"Without days like today, we wouldn’t be able to fund our annual operating budget," Robin DeMattos, the corporate and special events director at Double H said.
The 320-acre ranch in Lake Luzerne provides free activities and camps for children ages 6 to 16 with AIDS, cancer, hemophilia, sickle cell anemia and neuromuscular disease. Their families also receive support, DeMattos said.
Children from all over the country attend the camps, she said, but most come from New York state.
"Parents can send their children to the ranch knowing they’re in a medically sound environment and can enjoy camp like any other child," DeMattos said.
This was the first time the event was held for two charities. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation was the sole beneficiary for the prior two years, with Double H benefitting the first year.
"It’s really nice to partner with another nonprofit," DeMattos said.
T.J. Roode, the branch manager for the region’s foundation, agreed.
Roode said joining forces with another organization helps spread the word about both causes to more people than they ordinarily would, especially in an economy where every charity could use the help.
"Every dollar counts," Roode said. "Fundraising is what we need to survive."
And every dollar is also a step toward the organization’s goal of finding a cure for juvenile diabetes, he said.
Rebecca Close, a spokeswoman for The Great Escape, said the event capped a weekend of community service where some 80 employees put work aside in favor of volunteering on Friday.
"We’re very lucky to be in a position to host these events and give back to the community," Close said.
Posted in Local on Sunday, November 15, 2009 4:25 pm | Tags: Great Escape, Rubber Duck Race
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