The Boys and Girls Clubs of Lanier’s Rubber Duck Derby will make a splash at the Lake Lanier Olympic Park boathouse Saturday.
The annual fundraiser will see 25,000 rubber ducks released into the lake to race. Contestants pay to “adopt” a duck, winning a prize if theirs is the first to cross the finish line on the water. The first place winner will receive $10,000, while runners-up will receive other prizes donated by the organization’s community partners.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Lanier aims to provide youth programming to children in the Gainesville-Hall County area. Jonathan Hanson, head of Events and Engagement for the organization explained the non-profit's impact Friday on WDUN’s Morning’s on Main Street.
“Studies show that students that have walked through the Boys and Girls Clubs of Lanier have shown a 33% increase on testing,” Hanson said. “I think that that is absolutely amazing. And we have a 99% grade promotion rate with students attending the club.”
Hanson said the club currently provides over 6,000 hours of enrichment to students.
“Our whole goal is to inspire, enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens,” Boys and Girls Clubs of Lanier Director of Development Brittany White said. “We meet every child where they are, no matter what that looks like, and our goal is to help them achieve success, no matter what that looks like for them.”
The event will kick-off at 11 a.m. with food vendors available on-site. The race will begin at 2:30 p.m.
