Taylor Chambers
Activist organizations are known to do some crazy things for a little exposure. Some pose nude in New York City like PETA, while others hike up mountains in high heels like this kid. But as insane as it seems, these stunts absolutely work.
The 12th Annual Windy City Rubber Ducky Derby is a charity event thrown to help fund Special Olympics Illinois. Supporters of all ages pay $5 to sponsor their own ducky in a “race” down the Chicago river.
And they're off! #chiduckyderby @SO_Illinois pic.twitter.com/2fDMjc6GUq
— SONA (@SONorthAmerica) August 3, 2017
The duck race is almost as big of a deal as the special Olympics themselves thanks to the awesome prizes available to the winners. The winning duck could earn its sponsor Apple products, an all expense paid vacation, a brand new luxury car, and more.
#chiduckyderby only 15 min away! Great crowd out to support Special Olympics Illinois @SO_Illinois pic.twitter.com/7WCdsdViUh
— SONA (@SONorthAmerica) August 3, 2017
There’s even an entire duck themed mini-festival to honor the event. They sell duck shaped foods, duck merchandise, and there’s even a giant inflatable duck just because.
This year there were over 60,000 participants in the races. This means that the derby raised over $300,000 for the special Olympics alone. This doesn’t count donations made by companies that sponsor the event or revenue earned by the festival.