In less than a month, thousands of ducks will invade the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, and if all goes well, their arrival may become an annual migration.
Columbus-Lowndes Habitat for Humanity will hold the Great Tombigbee Duck Race June 9, dumping more than 5,000 yellow rubber ducks from the old Highway 82 bridge into the river by the Columbus Riverwalk. For $5, people can purchase a duck, along with the chance to win cash and prizes.
The quirky event replaces Habitat’s annual golf tournament fundraiser this year, and organizers hope the family fun day raises money as well as awareness for their cause.
The duck race is the brainchild of committee chairman John Acker, who came up with the idea after trying to find a way for businesses to get more exposure and for the community to be more involved.
The goal is for the organization to raise enough money to cover administrative expenses so other donations throughout the year can directly fund affordable housing for needy families.
“If you want to buy a duck, great, but if nothing else, just come out and begin to understand what Habitat’s about,” Acker said Friday afternoon.
Ducks went on sale at the beginning of the month and will be sold until the race begins.
Each duck will have a unique number on its underside, which will match that duck’s “adoption papers.”
The ducks will be dumped off the bridge and allowed to “race” downstream toward plastic oil booms which will funnel them into a chute for collection and prize determinations. The purchaser of the first duck to cross the finish line will win $2,500. One duck per every 3,000 will be worth $1 million. If the winning duck happens to be the million-dollar duck, that duck’s adopter will win the $1 million. Other prizes will include barbecue grills, gym memberships, limousine rides, gift cards and more.
Festivities begin at 10 a.m. with children’s games, and the duck race will begin at 2 p.m.
Motivational speaker Clay Dyer will take the stage at 1 p.m. to discuss how he became a professional bass fisherman even though he has no legs, no left arm and only a partial right arm.
Although the event is still in the fledgling stage, Habitat Executive Director Kathy Arinder said duck sales are brisk, and she hopes there will be a big turnout for the race and free family activities.
A great need
Without the annual fundraiser, there could be no local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and there is such great need for the work Habitat does, Arinder said. It is a need with which she and Acker are intimately familiar.
About a month ago, they learned of an elderly widow in need of shelter. She was in her 60s, sleeping in a tent because her house was too ramshackle to be habitable and she didn’t want to leave her property.
“The need is really great in Columbus,” Arinder said Friday. “I don’t think people realize there are a lot of people living in poor, poor conditions — conditions we can’t imagine living in.”
Acker agreed, saying he has become more aware through his work with Habitat.
“The need is there, but you have to step outside your comfort zone to see it,” he said. “If you keep your head buried in the sand, you won’t see it. We get to see on a firsthand level almost daily how big the need is, and it makes you very passionate. I’m thankful I get to see it, because it keeps me humble.”
A hand up, not a handout
Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976, and the Columbus-Lowndes chapter was formed in 1989. Since that time, more than 500,000 Habitat homes have been built worldwide, and 40 have been built locally.
Houses are built for around $55,000 to $75,000, using predominantly volunteer labor with some professional labor for things like electrical work and plumbing. The homes are then sold at-cost and mortgaged interest-free to partner families who have met a rigorous set of criteria.
In order to receive a Habitat home, families must be screened for need as well as ability to pay the monthly mortgage. Families must put in 300 hours of sweat equity, working on their own home or other Habitat homes, and they must undergo a 13-week financial management seminar to learn budgeting and other money skills.
The entire process can take up to two years.
Each dollar Habitat receives is used to build a house, then the money homeowners pay each month is used to build more houses. Though it will take 20 years for homeowners to repay the organization, it is a process of sowing seeds, Acker said.
Still, they fight the misconception that houses are given to the poor with no obligations.
“It’s not a giveaway organization,” Acker said. “It’s a hand up, not a handout. They have to put their work in. It’s not like they just showed up one day and won a house.”
The Columbus-Lowndes chapter tries to build three to four houses a year, and so far, the recession hasn’t had a great impact on donations, Arinder said. Churches take on sponsorships; corporations pledge commitments; individuals contribute whatever they can.
“We have been very blessed,” Arinder said. “We’re dependent upon the goodness of the community to keep the program going.”
Breaking the cycle
Habitat’s mission is to eliminate substandard housing, but the impact goes deeper.
“Homeownership is the biggest thing that breaks the poverty cycle,” Acker explained. “When people are in poverty and can’t get out, it’s like digging a hole in the desert. Every time they shovel money out, sand falls back in the hole.”
Without adequate shelter, families shift from place to place, struggling to make ends meet. It’s hard for children to get a good education. People settle for rundown homes which require more money and provide poor shelter.
Habitat homes enable people to break free, Acker said. And once the house is paid for, families can pass the land and home to their children, giving the next generation a level playing field.
“It’s just a great program, really unique,” Acker said. “For every person in Lowndes County that says we’ve got so many problems, the surest way to begin the process to correct it is to provide good housing.”
For more information
To learn more about the Great Tombigbee Duck Race, or to purchase a duck, please visit tombigbeeduckrace.com or call Arinder at 662-329-2501. Ducks are being sold at businesses around Columbus, including the Dispatch.
Carmen K. Sisson is the former news editor at The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 32 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
