New Haven Independent

The first of its kind in Connecticut, the fund-raising duck race Saturday raised money for Best Buddies Connecticut, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities. Volunteers from across the state helped organize the event. Students from local high schools including Wilbur Cross and area universities brought their buddies to cheer on the duckies.

Nikki Besitko, state director of Best Buddies Connecticut, said she got the idea for the duck race from other organizations who had held similar events.

“The purpose of the event is to help raise awareness about the kind of work we’re doing,” Besitko said. “I have been hoping to do this for a long time, and now we have the participants, the resources, and people who are eager to help out.”

Ducks were available for adoption for five dollars a piece. Each duck was numbered, and the adopting parent was assigned a corresponding “Lucky Duck” number. The first ten ducks to cross the line were awarded cool prizes, from a weekend trip to Boston to a portable DVD player.

Here are the ducks being unloaded into the Long Island Sound.

In the weeks leading up to the event, Best Buddies volunteers across the state helped out with duck sales, which Besitko estimated topped 8,000. At Quinnipiac University, volunteers raised donations through “dorm-storming” as well as stationing themselves outside Wal-Mart, which agreed to match the funds they raised. Carly Arena, a Qunnipiac sophomore who has worked with Best Buddies since high school, said this was one of the rare occasions that she has gotten to participate in a statewide Best Buddies event.

“It’s nice when we hold events just at Quinnipiac because everyone gets to know each other,” Arena said. “But it’s also great to see how many people are involved across the state and how much support we have, and to exchange ideas with other chapters.”

The ducks were not the only one having fun on Saturday. While the duck race was the main event, the family fun zone attracted quite a crowd as well. Sponsored by Fidelity Investments, the pier was jam-packed with a moonbounce, face paining, spin art, balloon animals, and even a dance floor. Students and their buddies as well as local families hopped to the beat of “Play that Funky Music” as they pumped themselves up for the upcoming race.

Daisy Lawrence, a member of Best Buddies who entered four ducks in the race, laughed confidently when asked if she thought her duck was going to win.

“Oh yeah!” she said.

All the funds raised from the event will go directly to benefit Best Buddies Connecticut. Bestiko said she was excited about the turnout and enthusiasm for the race and is already eager to make next year’s even better.