Rubber Duck Overload

    Anyone who has ever been involved in fundraising for their children's activities, understands this whole different world.  Everywhere you go, and everyone you see, sparks thoughts of, "Have we hit them up yet?" or "That would work well to help us out."  Every information portal of your brain suddenly has new pathways that connect somehow to fundraising. 
    My youngest son is preparing for a class trip to Washington D.C. and New York City.  It's going to be a great trip!  A wonderful experience!  But first, we all have to raise a huge amount of money.  At his school, the fundraising is largely done as a group, for the whole.  Our goal is a collective of $50,000.  And we have until the end of the year. 
    Welcome Duck Derby.  Since May, the students have been selling sponsorships of rubber ducks that are going to race down the Madison River.  We'll be floating about 3200 ducks.  The winning duck earns its sponsor $5000 in prizes.  It's a great idea, fun and different, and pretty easy to sell.  The down side?  I'm in charge. 
    My house is filled with bags, boxes, barrels, and more bags of ducks.  We have duck posters, duck fliers, duck charts, and duck pictures.  All forms are in hard copy and digital.  We have yellow ducks, pink ducks, and blue ducks.  I have ducks already sold, extra ducks, recreated missing ducks, and even a decapitated by bicycle spokes duck.  We have ducks in the front room, ducks in the kitchen, and ducks on the porch.  I've collected about half of the ducks so far, and will collect them all by the end of next week.
    One more week.  The ducks float on Friday.  And I'll be standing in the river, just past the finish line, frantically scooping ducks up with a fishing net.  I imagine it will all be quite a sight to see. 
    All in the name of love for my son.  Anybody want to buy a duck? 

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