Thousands of rubber ducks race for charity

Some people will go to great heights to raise money for charity. In Bart Jackson's case, it literally involves a crane dropping 10,000 rubber ducks off a bridge.

It took Jackson and his crew more than six months to organize the inaugural Rubber Duck Race of Charleston, where participants donate money to "adopt," or sponsor, ducks.

As head of community service and fundraising for The Rotary Club of Daniel Island, he and his team coordinated with the Coast Guard, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Transportation, and the City of Charleston Parks and Recreation.

Organizers hope the race and party afterwards will start an annual fundraiser that gives the biggest bang for the buck.

If all goes according to plan, on July 14, the south lane of U.S. 526 will close. Then a giant crane will dump the ducks about 10 stories into the Wando River below. There, they'll float down with the tide, surrounded by booms so none float astray.

Then one of those tiny toys that makes bath time so much fun will make someone $15,000 richer. The first adopted five to cross the finish line will turn their lucky duck owners into cash prize winners.

Even those not adopting a duck are welcome to watch from Daniel Island Waterfront Park and to enjoy the free meal and entertainment.

Jackson said, "There are a lot of golf tournaments, and they're all great, and they all do well, but we just wanted to do something different."

Hopefully not too different though.

"First thing people thought of when we said we were dropping ducks off a bridge, we started realizing we had to specify they were rubber ducks. People got this big look on their face, like: You can't drop ducks off a bridge!"

Reach Lucia Walinchus at 937-5921 or at lwalinchus@postandcourier.com.