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Community Corner

Get Ready, Get Set, Get Your Ducks

Support Advocates for Bartow's Children by buying rubber ducks to race down river. It's going to be quacky time!

On your mark! Get set! Release the ducks! It’s that time again, for Advocates for Children’s 10th-annual Duck Derby.

Advocates for Children is a Cartersville-based nonprofit organization that provides a variety of programs centered on children's services. Programs include First Steps, Project Safe Place, the Flowering Branch Children’s Shelter, parenting and divorce classes, and many more.

“We serve abused and neglected children in the north Georgia area,” said Advocates Development Assistant Kayleaigh Ladshaw. “We currently have 10 children staying in the Flowering Branch shelter, and there are several different programs related to helping children in the community.”

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The Duck Derby is a community-wide, annual fundraiser that helps to make these programs possible. Anyone is eligible to adopt a duck. The ducks are distributed with numbers stamped on the bottom and dropped into the Etowah River on the derby day. The first duck to cross the finish line down river wins a grand prize. This year, the ducks hit the water promptly at 2:30 p.m. Saturday. This year’s grand prize is a 2011 Honda Fit. Dozens of other fabulous prizes are available for the runners up.   

“The last opportunity to adopt ducks is up until the actual event at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday. Before that ducks are available for adoption online until 2 p.m. on Friday, May 13,” said Ladshaw. “Ducks are available at the event on Saturday along with duckie merchandise like T-shirts and quackers. The event is very family friendly.”

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Duck Derby Weekend is set to open on Friday with the fifth-annual Concert on the Lawn. Held at Cartersville’s Riverside Day Use Area from 6 to 9 p.m., the event is free for all attendees and will include a 64-team cornhole tournament, food, prizes, arts, crafts and live musical entertainment.

Saturday, the 5K Duck Dash and Fun Run is scheduled to take place at Cartersville Primary School. Registration starts on location at 7 a.m., and of course there’s pre-registration available online until Friday. The Duck Dash begins at 8 a.m. and the Fun Run begins at 8:45 a.m. There are cash prizes for top three male and female runners and the top three male and female masters runners. Register here.

The fundraiser’s main event, the Duck Derby, will be held on Saturday at the Riverside Day Use Area from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

An extensive schedule of the day’s activities from dancers to musicians to awards ceremonies can be found on the Advocate’s for Bartow's Children's website here.

Advocates has been serving Cartersville since 1985.

“The organization is invaluable to Cartersville because 100 percent of fundraiser proceeds go to children in our community,” said Ladshaw.  “We help over 2,500 children each year through all our programs. We have a loving and caring staff, and are truly concerned about the well-being of the children.”

There also are many volunteer opportunities available with Advocates. It has a Volunteen program for teens who want to mentor children in the Flowering Branch shelter, as well as an adult mentor program.

“There are always odd jobs to be done from taking trips with the children to cooking dinner for the children to gardening at the shelter. There are lots and lots of opportunities,” said Ladshaw.  “We’re always looking for volunteers for special events as well.”

In fact, Advocates would welcome additional volunteers for this year’s Duck Derby. To help at the Derby or the Duck Dash call 770-387-1143.

For more information on the 10th-annual Duck Derby and all the services Advocates provides, visit its website.   

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