Things were just ducky last Sunday afternoon as 5,000 yellow rubber ducks flooded along the shores of the Sand Bar at Capt. Hiram’s during the fifth annual Treasure Coast Community Health Great Duck Derby. These special birds of a feather flocked together to help TCCH fill the healthcare gap for Indian River County residents.
As anticipation built, supporters of the nonprofit enjoyed an afternoon of musical entertainment while sipping tropical concoctions under the shade of thatch-roofed tables. Children built sand castles, had their faces painted and frolicked in the shallows as the Sea Tow Sebastian crew set up the duck chute.
During the race pre-party, duck-clad volunteers sold 50/50 tickets, T-shirts, hats, rubber ducky necklaces and duck calls while Quackers, the friendly derby mascot, kept the crowd going as he danced and made the rounds.
As Sebastian River High School student Evan Bush played “First Call,” the ducks were released into the Indian River Lagoon. A pint-sized duck tamper cleared the chute as duck wranglers herded the flock of water fowl toward the shore, goosing them in the right direction. The crowd surged along the shoreline, calling out hopefully to their lucky ducky over a cacophony of duck calls, hoping that their champion would pop out of the tube first.
Once the crew got all their ducks in a row and the race results were in, Kim Hoffman’s plucky duck claimed first prize, winning her the $1,000 purse.
More than 2,500 duck chances had been purchased; four earning cash prizes from $200 to $1,000 for their benefactors. Proceeds from the Great Duck Derby will help fund patient care not covered by insurance or federal assistance.
Judi Miller, Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO, recently joined the TCCH board and said “it was a real eye-opener for me to learn about all the services Treasure Coast Community Health provides. They fill a huge need in the community. A young child’s health affects everything and when a family isn’t healthy, it’s part of what causes toxic stress.”
Last year TCCH saw more than 17,000 unduplicated patients, resulting in 70,000 visits to the nonprofit’s various health centers. The mission of TCCH is to “provide accessible, cost-effective, high-quality, comprehensive health care to all people regardless of their socio-economic circumstances.”
The organization opened its doors more than 20 years ago to provide care to indigent and uninsured patients in Fellsmere. Since then, their services have expanded to include medical, dental and mental health services at four locations throughout the county, and most recently they also opened a dental-only center across from St. Helen Catholic Church in Vero Beach.
“This is a fun-raiser as well as a fund-raiser,” said TCCH CEO Vicki Soulé. “A lot of people think that because Treasure Coast is a federally qualified health center we receive a lot of federal funds. We receive about 20 percent of our funding through the federal government and we turn about 25 percent back into direct patient care. Events like this help us with all the things that aren’t covered and all the people who don’t have insurance. We provide healthcare for all.”
