The Wright City Kiwanis Club grossed just over $8,600 during their annual Duck Derby fundraiser exceeding last year’s total. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be directed back to the Kiwanis Club as well as one of their benefactors, the Sports Closet in Wright City. 

As of publication, the Kiwanis Club was still calculating how much of the money raised would be directed back to nonprofits. 

Those funds came from the sale of roughly 800 ducks at $10 apiece and a $450 donation in prize money. 

The Kiwanis Club is an international organization that focuses on supporting the youth through a variety of programs, including several here in Warren County. 

“We do scholarships, the school, they’ll come to us or they’ll come and ask us if we can help sponsor a kid here, they’re going to different state events, or even national events, … And we’ll help with the kids feeding them during the summertime,” said board member Martha Radjinski. 

The Sports Closet in Wright City, one of the larger beneficiaries from last week’s fundraiser, focuses on providing sports equipment at a reduced cost to children and families in need. 

“We are collecting all the sports equipment so we can give it out to the youth,” said board member Michelle Smith. 

Radjinski said that the nonprofit is also a regional draw for families who would not be able to afford the equipment needed for their children to compete otherwise. 

“They really come from all areas, they don’t just have to be in Wright City, all areas really do come,” Radjinski said. 

Hosted at Wright City’s First Friday Back to School Bash on Aug. 2, Kiwanis Club members sold additional ducks all the way up to the last heat of the evening before winners from each heat were selected to run in the final race of the evening. 

Before the final race, however, teams from the Wright City Fire Protection District, Police Department and the Warren County Ambulance held their own first responder race with ducks they had decorated themselves. 

During the hotly contested first responders race, ducks decorated by all three agencies traveled down the roughly 50 foot track before one of the ducks from the Wright City Fire Protection District emerged victorious. While the fire district earned the bragging rights as well as the first responder, District Chief Ron MacKnight and Police Chief Tom Canavan agreed that the spirit of the event was always friendly competition. 

They were happy that first responders were able to gather and interact outside of the environment in their lines of work where their paths usually cross. 

MacKnight said “anytime everyone can get together and have a little fun,” it’s always a positive for their agencies. 

MacKnight and Canavan were also excited about the opportunity to give back to the community outside of their work and support causes like Kiwanis Club and the Sports Closet. Other winners from the event included first place winner Otto Lewis, receiving the $1,500 first place prize. Second place went to Jack Groeper earning $250 while third and fourth place winners Bernard and Debby Berger and Katie Joyce received $100 each. 

Organizers were also aided by the students from the Key Club at Wright City High School who chose to give some of their time to give back. 

“I think it’s an important club because it shows that the school is giving back to the community,” said Wright City High School junior Aiden Taylor. “And what they put into the school we’re gonna give back to them.”