Cardinal Services Hosts Duck Race In Winona

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By Jennifer [email protected]

WINONA LAKE - Bailey Pequignot, 6, watched as thousands of plastic ducks floated down Winona Lake Canal Saturday morning.

She was one of the hundreds of people who attended the Cardinal Services' fourth annual duck race.

Pequignot hasn't missed the duck race since it started four years ago. She attended the race with her grandmother, Mary Carol Jones, Warsaw.[[In-content Ad]]"We always like to attend the duck race because the money raised goes toward a good cause," Jones said.

Winning the $5,000 top prize was Jerry Henline, Warsaw.

Proceeds from the race support Cardinal Services residential, work and day services for people with disabilities, as well as children's services including Head Start, Women Infants and Children and Healthy Families.

Cardinal Services was founded in 1954 to serve the needs of people with disabilities and has 14 programs that serve 4,000 people annually.

Sponsors could purchase a single duck for $5, a family of five ducks for $25, a quackers dozen for $50 and a flock for $100.

There were 8,440 plastic sponsored ducks in Saturday's race. Numbers on the bottom of the ducks represented sponsors who purchased them.

There was a specialty sponsor's race in which local businesses had larger plastic ducks participate in the race.

There was a main race after the sponsor's race.

A motorized boat made waves to help the plastic ducks get to the finish line.

The race is the organization's biggest fundraiser, according to Michelle Boxell, Cardinal Services community relations director.

Boxell said the organization will not know how much money was raised for a few weeks. There was approximately $40,000 raised during last year's race.

"The funds are important because they assure our operations keep running and help us sustain our services," said Cardinal Services CEO Jane Greene.

The race has been held at Center Lake the past three years, and this was the first time it was held at the Winona Lake Canal.

Other prizes included four Notre Dame football tickets to the Notre Dame versus Purdue game Sept. 27, won by Sarahlee Levin; a Ramada/Wagon Wheel Theatre package that included tickets for dinner, an overnight stay and breakfast, won by Melissa Sparkman; a gas grill from Lowe's, won by Karen Lawton; and free pizza for a year from the Detroit Street Pizza Hut, won by Kassi Rowland.

WINONA LAKE - Bailey Pequignot, 6, watched as thousands of plastic ducks floated down Winona Lake Canal Saturday morning.

She was one of the hundreds of people who attended the Cardinal Services' fourth annual duck race.

Pequignot hasn't missed the duck race since it started four years ago. She attended the race with her grandmother, Mary Carol Jones, Warsaw.[[In-content Ad]]"We always like to attend the duck race because the money raised goes toward a good cause," Jones said.

Winning the $5,000 top prize was Jerry Henline, Warsaw.

Proceeds from the race support Cardinal Services residential, work and day services for people with disabilities, as well as children's services including Head Start, Women Infants and Children and Healthy Families.

Cardinal Services was founded in 1954 to serve the needs of people with disabilities and has 14 programs that serve 4,000 people annually.

Sponsors could purchase a single duck for $5, a family of five ducks for $25, a quackers dozen for $50 and a flock for $100.

There were 8,440 plastic sponsored ducks in Saturday's race. Numbers on the bottom of the ducks represented sponsors who purchased them.

There was a specialty sponsor's race in which local businesses had larger plastic ducks participate in the race.

There was a main race after the sponsor's race.

A motorized boat made waves to help the plastic ducks get to the finish line.

The race is the organization's biggest fundraiser, according to Michelle Boxell, Cardinal Services community relations director.

Boxell said the organization will not know how much money was raised for a few weeks. There was approximately $40,000 raised during last year's race.

"The funds are important because they assure our operations keep running and help us sustain our services," said Cardinal Services CEO Jane Greene.

The race has been held at Center Lake the past three years, and this was the first time it was held at the Winona Lake Canal.

Other prizes included four Notre Dame football tickets to the Notre Dame versus Purdue game Sept. 27, won by Sarahlee Levin; a Ramada/Wagon Wheel Theatre package that included tickets for dinner, an overnight stay and breakfast, won by Melissa Sparkman; a gas grill from Lowe's, won by Karen Lawton; and free pizza for a year from the Detroit Street Pizza Hut, won by Kassi Rowland.
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