COLUMBUS — The Columbus Education Foundation (CEF) will host its 3rd Columbus Duck Derby Saturday, May 16, at 11 a.m. in Beason Park in Columbus, and the excitement is already floating through the air.
The Duck Derby isn’t just a fun community event—it fuels schol- arships and classroom grants that transform lives and learning envi -
ronments from K-12th grade.
“I love this Duck Derby event!
It’s fun, it’s different! And every duck makes a difference to our CISD students,” said Rebecca Edmiston, CEF board member and Duck Derby organizer.
Get Involved, Make a Difference
Everyone's invited to get in - volved! The weighted rubber ducks can be purchased online, at businesses that have signs that say, “Get Your Duck Here,” and
at the upcoming Health and Well ness Fair on the Colorado County Courthouse square.
"Our goal is to sell 3,500 ducks this year,” Edmiston shared.
“Each year we have been able to increase the number of classroom grants we can support as well as the total number and the amounts of the scholarships we can award to high school seniors." Pricing is just $5 for a single duck, $25 for quack pack of six, or $50 for a flock of 13. Want to make a bigger splash? Sponsorship opportunities range from $100 to $2,000, and include perks such as recognition on CEF's website, social media, banners, and press releases.
Duck Derby Dollars Spark Student Success Thanks to generous communi - ty support, CEF granted $14,848 to classrooms this year. Eleven
projects were funded — includ- ing schoolwide gardens at every CISD campus (elementary, junior high, and high school) materials that encourage reading for first and second grade classrooms and equipment like CPR mannequins for high school health science stu dents.
Duck Derby proceeds also con- tribute to scholarships for graduat -
ing seniors. This May, CEF aims to award more than $150,000
in scholarships to seniors head- ing to trade schools, two-year, or four-year colleges and universities - a significant increase from the $6,000 awarded in 2023.
Prizes and Recognition for the Speediest Ducks
CISD students and teachers are not the only winners in the derby. Duck Derby participants can be winners, too. The fastest duck earns $1,000, followed by $500 for second place and $250 for third. Winners will be honored at an awards ceremony on the court- house square during the Magno - lia Days Festival, making it a day full of celebration and community spirit.
Join the Fun
For more information or to purchase your ducks and be part of this quacking good time, visit the CEF website: www.Colum- busEducationFoundation.org or call 979-733-2122.
Don’t miss your chance to be a part of the 3rd Columbus Duck Derby — where every duck helps make waves in education!
The Duck Derby was initial- ly launched in 2024 with dona tions from Drymalla Construc- tion Company, AL&M Building Supplies, Baumgart Agency, and
Mark A. Chapman Foundation.
CEF is a 501-c3 nonprofit com -
mitted to creating brighter futures for CISD students through ex panded educational opportunities.
The foundation funds both schol- arships for high school seniors - whether heading to trade schools, two-year, or four-year colleges - and classroom grants for innova tive teacher projects that exceed the traditional budget.
