By Camille Yameen, Director of Marketing and Communications, The Center for Prevention of Abuse
There’s nothing quite like watching 25,000 rubber ducks tumble and summersault and twist and fall and flip and bump and race down a gigantic water slide, or so I hear.
The 29th Annual Duck Race is back to benefit The Center for Prevention of Abuse on Saturday, August 26, at Eastside Centre. It’s a staple fundraising event in the community, one that raises money for the Center’s mission to help women, men, and children live free from violence and abuse. With fabulous prizes, like $5,000 cash and 14 others prizes, who wouldn’t want to sponsor a duck for $5?
Every dollar raised stays local, and it goes to provide services to all of the Center’s clients. It helps to pay for teen dating violence education programs for students in our community; it helps to replenish the sand in the therapy sand art tray that sexual assault therapists use with children. It may go towards bus passes for the client staying in our shelter who has a job interview scheduled, or your dollars may pay for a caseworker to visit the home of a senior. For every duck sold, every dollar gained, there’s a need.
This is my first Duck Race event, so I recently asked some of the Center staff to tell me why they continue to sell ducks and what the Duck Race means to them.
If you haven’t sponsored your duck to help stop abuse, it’s not too late! Visit www.duckracepeoria.com and help stop abuse by sponsoring a duck for $5 now through August 26.
The Center for Prevention of Abuse is here to help all residents of Central Illinois who are victims of violence and abuse. We offer adult protective services for victims of elder abuse, emergency domestic violence shelters in Peoria and Pekin to offer safe haven for someone escaping an abusive situation, and counseling for victims of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and domestic violence. We also offer Prevention Education classes in schools throughout Peoria, Tazewell, and Woodford County.
The Center serves a six-county area in Central Illinois with the mission of helping every woman, man, and child live free from violence and abuse. To learn more, visit centerforpreventionofabuse.org, call 309-691-0551, or call our emergency hotline 1-800-559-SAFE (7233).
Photos courtesy of Paul Wilkinson from the Duck Race Kickoff Party at Kelleher’s Irish Pub and Eatery.