Community Corner

Rubber Ducky Race Returning to Rochester Park

Thousands of colorful ducks will race to the finish in Rochester Municipal Park on May 20.

There are ducks hanging out all over Rochester right now, but the most colorful ones are small and plastic and getting ready for a race.

The sixth-annual is planned for May 20. The event, a fundraiser for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan, begins at 1 p.m. with an old-fashioned carnival; the actual race, in which thousands of ducks are dumped into the creek from the bridge on the north side of the park, begins at 2 p.m.

The race is the creation of Rochester Hills mom Donetta Behen, who came up with the idea six years ago as a way to say thank you to the community that helped her family get through a tough time. Daughter Morgan Behen fought brain cancer as a child; the Behen family received a while Morgan was going through her treatments.

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"At the time, we wanted to throw a big party to say thank you to the people who helped us," Behen said. "That's how the rubber duck race was born.  And then the next year, we said 'Why not do that again?' "

All proceeds from the event benefit the Behen family's team for the Wish-A-Mile 300 Bicycle Tour, which directly benefits Make-A-Wish Foundation.

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"Our hope is that the community realizes what it means to grant a child a wish," Behen said. "It's very much part of the healing process — it gives them a chance to be a kid again. It's a week for them to not have doctor visits any more."

Ducks are $4 apiece or three for $10. If your adopted duck wins the race, you could win a prize — and bragging rights to owning the town's speediest duck.

Last year, heavy rains and the high waters flowing through Rochester Municipal Park ; Behen instead pulled the winning ducks from a neighborhood pond, so that prizes could still be awarded.

To adopt a duck or make a donation, send a check to Rochester Rubber Ducky Race, 1761 Old Homestead, Rochester Hills, MI 48306. Make checks payable to Make-A-Wish Foundation. Please include  your name and address so that an adoption "certificate" can be mailed back to you.

 For more information, visit www.rochesterrubberduckyrace.com.


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