Rubber Duckie Derby Raises $20K For Special Olympics

CHICAGO, IL -- The Rubber Duckie Derby event Sunday afternoon at Mt. Greenwood Park ended up raising more than $20,000 for Special Olympics Chicago through duck sales and food that was sold throughout the event.

Special Olympian Gold Medal-winning speed skater Tommy Shimoda, a Mt. Greenwood native and alum of the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences, bought all the food and the Knights of Columbus cooked it and sold it for proceeds heading back to Special Olympics, an organization founded in Chicago nearly 50 years ago.

Nearly 4,000 rubber ducks were sold at $5 apiece. Students from several area schools, including Leo High School, St. Cajetan, Christ the King, Chicago High School for the Agricultural Sciences Mount Greenwood High School, Kellogg and St. Barnabas, sold more than 2500 ducks in the week prior to the event.

Photos by Mike Pankow