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Community

Thirteen Rising Kids Committee will be hosting their first annual Rubber Ducky Race

Aug 3, 2022 | 1:27 PM

Thirteen Rising Kids Committee is taking over Muskoseepi Park Friday, August 12, for their First Annual Rubber Ducky Race.

Aaron McKenna, Founder of Thirteen Rising says their group was debating how they were going to raise all their needed funds for the rest of the year in one event, then he got inspiration from his hometown.

“I remember in my hometown in Saint John, New Brunswick, the hostel had a Rubber Ducky Race and there were like 50,000 rubber duckies sold. We’ve been doing barbeques and trying other stuff to raise money and so we brainstormed what we could do to have one fundraiser that would raise enough money for the whole year, then bing, bang, boom we thought of the Rubber Ducky Race.”

McKenna says their fundraiser’s goal is to provide the committee with the $13,000 they need to get to the end of the year, but then give the kids an opportunity to make a difference with the remaining sum.

After consulting with an investor that McKenna brings in, will they decide what to spend their money on to either better the community or the lives of each other.

“We started with 13 kids and I didn’t want to grow out of the 13 kids, I wanted them to know we love them, care about them, create bonds. Lots of the kids are only children so now they have 12 brothers and sisters. One of their brothers and sisters needs a wheelchair, so we could use the money to buy them a wheelchair.”

McKenna adds their kids are not new to good deeds, with the program motto: “Big kids- Helping – Little kids – Helping – Other kids”, and every week Thirteen Rising Committee Kids present in front of each other with what good deed they have done in their community that week.

The event will not solely feature duck racing, but also live entertainment, a dunk tank, face painting, games, and two unique activities to showcase other groups in the community.

“We’re going to have some leaders from the Champion Gym Ninja Warrior Obstacle come down and set up in the field here beside the splash park, and that will be for all ages. Then we have the Young Entrepreneurs who are coming out of the Champion Leadership Academy. In that academy, children learned how to open and operate their own business and the kids that did so will be displaying their businesses Friday in Muskoseepi Park,” he says.

The event starts at 6:00 p.m. Friday, August 12, but the ducky racing doesn’t start till 7:00 p.m.

If you want to partake in the race you can buy a rubber duck racer for $25 each by clicking here or scan the QR code in the photo below.

The three fastest ducks will receive cash prizes, with the first place winner bringing home $2,500.

Photo Courtesy Thirteen Rising Kids Committee