Rubber Ducky Drop Helps Raise $$ For Kids
By Marci Shatzman
Only one charity golf outing has a rubber ducky drop from a crane. Leave it to Boca West Children’s Foundation to start their 12th golf challenge with a splash.
Golfers lined up to plunk down $50 a duck at a table in the clubhouse lobby. Just as Rotary Club of Boca Raton volunteer Bonnie Hildebrand was about to run out, foundation event director Christina Irving arrived with a new batch.
Why do this? “You are supporting a great charity that supports great charities,” explained Education Foundation’s Jim Gavrilos.
“This does set us apart, and people are willing to spend more money to see how their duck does,” foundation board chairman Richard Zenker noted.
In fact, after brunch in the clubhouse, a huge white crane with a bag of rubber ducks marked the spot on the busy putting green. Opening the bag allowed hundreds of ducks to hit the ground. The one closest to the hole won a prize.
Then 400 golfers in this year’s outing teed off for play on the country club’s four golf courses, said executive director Pam Weinroth. The foundation will celebrate its 15th anniversary in January, she noted.
This fundraiser held on Monday March 25 is expected to generate a half million dollars to fund grants for projects to assist kids in need and their families, Zenker said. Their website lists 29 partner agencies. Most are children’s charities.
So, who started the rubber duck drop? Zenker credits board chairman emeritus Arthur Adler, who was there, of course. “Arthur saw it somewhere and it looked like a good idea. It has set us apart.”
