VON walk, duck race set for May 17

This is the 38th year for the VON walkathon and it will be held the same day as another VON fundraising activity – the duck race – though one with a much shorter history than the nearly-four-decade old walking event.

Registration for the walk will begin at 9 a.m. on north Water Street, across from The Snack Place, with the walk itself scheduled to start at 10, the participants following a five-kilometre route.

Entertainment and social activities are planned for after the walk, leading up to the duck race, which will get underway around noon.

People can purchase ducks for the race at $10 apiece or three for $25. People with ducks in the race become eligible for prizes, the biggest of which is a trip for two on the Cat.

Corporate sponsorship opportunities are available for businesses that would like to get involved in the duck race

Money raised from the walkathon and from the duck race will help the local VON with its various charitable programs, including volunteer visiting, community stroke support, palliative and supportive care volunteering and caregiver support.

Charitable dollars also are used to supplement the VON’s Meals In Minutes program and footcare clinics.

The VON’s walkathon was a huge event back in the 1970s, drawing hundreds of participants. The number these days is significantly smaller and while the event has been fairly consistent lately in terms of the money it brings in, “Those dollars don’t go as far as they did,” said Suzanne d’Entremont, branch executive director, VON Tri-County and Queens.

Grateful, of course, for the walkers who continue to do their part each year, organizers would love to see higher numbers.

An encouraging development is that there appears to be new interest in the walkathon, says Derrick Babin, the local VON coordinator of community support and volunteer services.

“We’re really excited that there are new walkers this year,” he said. “They seem to be very excited. They have a lot of enthusiasm about participating for the first time and they’re out getting their pledges.”

“You’re always looking for more participation,” said d’Entremont. “We would like more people to come out. It certainly would be nice to see the numbers grow, in relation to how many ducks are sold (for the duck race) and also the number of people walking.”

As for having both the walk and the duck race the same day, she says organizers had them the same day the first year and, after having tried them on separate dates the second year, they decided to return to the single-day format.

“(An) assessment of the whole thing just brought us to the conclusion that we should do them both on the same day, so that’s why we’re going that route again,” she said.

Pledge sheets can be obtained from the VON’s Yarmouth office (742-4512), where ducks also can be purchased.

Referring, meanwhile, to the work the VON does in the community, Babin finds it is much appreciated.

“It’s amazing when you speak to people about the VON,” he said, adding that with a lot of them there seems to be a direct or indirect connection with the organization. “There’s been a family member who’s received service from VON or a relative or someone they know.”