BEDFORD – On Saturday, June 8th, the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence County held its annual Ugly Duck Derby event at the John Lowery Municipal Pool.
The weather was perfect for the free swim day, and everyone anxiously awaited the ducks’ release down the John Lowery Municipal Pool slide.
Frank Decker, the Chief Professional Officer of the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence County, offered his thoughts to WBIW, “The Duck Derby was a brainchild of Dr. Jimmy Sowders, and it was to pay off debt taken on from the original merger of the Boys Club and the Girls Club against the Limestone Unit building. When the two clubs merged, we took on over $800,000 of debt on the limestone building. The Derby was developed to help pay off that mortgage. We had the good fortune to pay off the mortgage on February 29, 2020 – the leap year day. The funds we raise today with Duck Derby go directly toward utilities, insurance, facility maintenance repairs, and upgrades. Over the years, Duck Derby has raised over $350,000. This year, with the support of Kim Burgess and United Way, we were able to raise funds for our kids and provide a free community swim day at the same time. We are super appreciative of our partnership with them and of our local sponsors and community supporters. It is a cliche, but it takes a village to support our Boys and Girls Club, and we are fortunate that our village is in Lawrence County.”
This year’s event raised an estimated $42,000. Although the duck sales were lower than in years past, sponsorships from local businesses helped fill the gap this year.
Ashley Gilstrap, Director of Resource Development of the club, commented, “We appreciate everyone who supported the Ugly Duck Derby this year. It was a great event. We had a lot of great sponsors and lots of prizes, so we appreciate the community’s support. We had a lot of fun. It’s always fun to watch the ducks come down the slide and see the kids react to seeing the ducks come down the slide. So, yeah, it’s a great event and a fun time.”
Congratulations to Bon Flores, whose duck crossed the finish line first, earning him the $4,000 grand prize! Look for your name among the 60 other prize winners below. To collect your prize, please pick it up at the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence County Limestone Unit building at 2009 19th Street in Bedford. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
