100.1 FM ~ 1450 AM ~ WIZS, Your Community Voice ~ Click to LISTEN LOCAL

Garry Daeke, outreach coordinator for Franklin-Granville-Vance Smart Start, Inc., appeared on WIZS Town Talk Monday at 11 a.m.

Daeke was pleased to announce that the 11th Annual FGV Ducky Derby Race will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2020, in downtown Henderson, albeit with several changes in place due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

At 11 a.m. that morning, Garnett Street will be filled with a river of rubber ducks as FGV Smart Start holds its largest fundraiser of the year. With $10,000 raised at last year’s race, Daeke said proceeds from the annual event provide services for local families with children age five and younger. (Click here for article and video from last year’s event.)

All sponsors will be recognized on Ducky Derby posters, radio advertisements, newspaper articles and the FGV Smart Start website and Facebook page.

This year, with the uncertainty surrounding event-planning, Daeke explained that no individual tickets for rubber ducks will be sold. Instead, Smart Start will be securing sponsors to support this event.

Sponsorship levels are:
Super Duck – $500
Feathered Friend – $250
Quacker Backer – $100

Approximately 2,000 ducks will “race” this year, and each will represent a child enrolled in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program. Founded by singer and entertainer Dolly Parton’s Dollywood Foundation, the Imagination Library partners with Smart Start programs to offer youth one free book a month – via mail – from birth through age five.

With 3,800 children currently registered for the Imagination Library through FGV Smart Start, Daeke said 2,000 names will be randomly selected for the available ducks. Children who are enrolled in the program in the next few weeks will also have a chance to be entered into the race.

Applications for the Imagination Library can be found at local pediatric offices, childcare centers, the Granville Vance Public Health Department, Maria Parham Health, libraries and the FGV Smart Start office.

The “lucky duck” [child] who wins the Ducky Derby will receive the grand prize of free Chick-fil-A for a year.

While individual ducks will not be available for purchase, Daeke said the public is still welcome to join the fun in-person. Social distancing and masks will be required for all participants.

“We wanted to have something for the public; so many things aren’t going to happen this fall. We decided we wanted something that we can still have and – possibly – people could come out and see,” stated Daeke.

For those not able to attend in-person, Daeke said the event will be featured live on the FGV Smart Start Facebook page. A drone fly-over is also being planned in conjunction with the City of Henderson to provide a bird’s-eye view of the activities.

While a deviation from past years, Daeke said the 2020 Ducky Derby “will be a little different but still a lot of fun.”

If interested in becoming a sponsor, to enroll your child in the Imagination Library or with questions, please call FGV Smart Start at (252) 433-9110.

To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.