ASPEN ROTARY SECURES TWO OLD HIPPIES AS DUCKY DERBY TITLE SPONSOR
18th Annual Festival Still Going Strong
Aspen, Colo…Eighteen years and approximately 500,000 rubber ducks later, the Aspen Rotary Club’s Ducky Derby Festival is proud to welcome Two Old Hippies into the flock as Title Sponsor. Two Old Hippies is a new store in downtown Aspen that sells guitars, apparel and gifts. It is located at 111 S. Monarch Street, where the Great Divide Music Store was previously located. In honor of the Ducky Derby, Two Old Hippies will be selling “Little Yellow Hippie Ducks” until the Ducky Derby on Saturday, August 8th. Tom & Molly Bedell, owners of the new store, were title sponsors of last year’s Ducky Derby through Bedell World Citizenship Fund. The two entities have together contributed $22,000 to help stage one of Aspen’s most popular events.
Molly Bedell has a long history with the Ducky Derby, having co-chaired the event with Andy Modell in 1998. “I like being involved in the Ducky Derby because I love giving back to the kids and contributing to the organizations that they are involved in. I also like how the kids are actively involved in the Ducky Derby both before hand in finding people to adopt ducks and in the park on Festival Day manning their game booths. The Ducky Derby teaches kids about the importance of giving back and philanthropy.” She said she also likes the Rotary Club and likes to support Rotary causes. “Collectively as a group of people Valley-wide, Rotarians are a wonderful people. They’re always so involved in the community, as a group and as individuals. It’s a big commitment to be a Rotarian and it’s a big commitment to put on the Ducky Derby. Tom and I are happy to help.”
It costs around $75,000 to put on the Festival, even though all the man-hours are volunteer. To pay for these hard costs, Rotary raises money through business sponsorships that range from $500 to $15,000. Thanks to the generosity of Two Old Hippies; John Olson Builder; Morris Fyrwald/Sotheby’s International Realty; the Aspen Times; KUUR Radio; and many other business sponsors; all the proceeds from duck adoptions will go fully to charity again this year.
The daylong Ducky Derby Festival will be held on Saturday, August 8th in Rio Grande Park. The famous rubber duck race launches from the No Problem Bridge at 2:09 p.m. The ducks then race down the Roaring Fork River to the Mill Street Bridge for what could be a $1,000,000 first prize. For every 3,333 ducks adopted, one is designated as a special “Lucky Duck” worth $1 million if it comes in first. If the winning duck is not a “Lucky Duck,” then the winner will receive a $10,000 cash first price. In addition, the all-day festival features children’s activities, a silent auction, barbecue lunch, drinks, and live music.
Since it’s founding in 1991, the Ducky Derby Festival has raised over $1.75 million for youth and human service organizations. Aspen Rotarians solicit duck adoptions and the Club invites Valley youth groups and other charitable organizations to do the same to raise money for their individual organizations. “One of the most beneficial purposes of the Ducky Derby is providing dozens of local youth organizations and other charities with the opportunity to raise money through duck adoptions,” says Rotary Head Duck Michael Fox. “The Rotary Club gives back to the community by organizing, coordinating and implementing the Festival, thus providing these local non-profits a successful and risk-free venue to make money.”
The money raised through Rotarian duck adoptions fund the service club’s High School Scholarship Program; its World Service Projects; and its grant program to local non-profit organizations. Aspen Rotary Club President Justin Barrow summarizes the importance of the Ducky Derby this way, “The Ducky Derby allows us to fulfill our mission as a Club.”
The Aspen Rotary Club awards four scholarships per year to high school seniors. Two recipients are from Aspen High and two are from Basalt High. Since the program began in 1986, the Club has awarded 92 scholarships, equaling nearly $400,000. “Many of the recipients would not otherwise have been able to attend college,” says Aspen Rotary Club Scholarship Committee Chair, Don Westerlind. Scholarships are based on scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, community service, and financial need.
The Aspen Rotary Club is actively involved in World Service Projects that are strategically focused towards sustainable activities such as disease prevention and treatment; clean water and sanitation; pre-natal and child health; basic education and literacy; and economic and community development. “During the past seven years, the Aspen Rotary Club has invested $210,370 of Ducky Derby proceeds, generating $1,984,727 in matching grants, in World Service Projects,” says Derk Torinus, Aspen Rotary Club World Service Committee Chair. “One of the best things about this program is that our funds are matched by other Rotary Clubs, Rotary Districts, and the Rotary Foundation; which leverages our funds up to a 9-to-1 ratio. In this way, we accomplish far more than we could alone.” Although the Rotary Foundation is involved in World Service Projects throughout the globe, the Aspen Rotary Club focuses its attention primarily in South and Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean.
The Aspen Rotary Club also awards grants annually to other non-profit organizations through a formal grant application process. The amount of money awarded each year varies based on duck adoptions, however, approximately $20,000 in small grants is awarded annually to approximately 20 start-up programs and organizations. “We like to focus this giving on small, new programs, so that our Rotary grant can really make a difference,” explains Funding Committee Chair Don Wrigley.
Ducks can be adopted on-line at www.aspenrotary.org . For more information on the 18th Annual Rotary Club Ducky Derby Festival, contact Michael Fox, Aspen Rotary Club Head Duck at
970-920-5870
# # #