Karl Morris is one lucky duck! Plus, photos from the race!
‘Mellow yellow’ fun at the Rotary Charity Duck Race!
They aren’t just sitting ducks! With a little help from the Charleston Fire Department, thousands of rubber ducks bobbed along Smythe Lake on Saturday, June 1 for the annual Rotary Charity Duck Race. The popular event reeled in $150,000 for a variety of non-profit organizations.
Who's the winnner?
Charleston Fire Department Captain Karl Morris didn’t expect to win the grand prize in the 2019 Rotary Charity Duck Race.
“I was walking into Publix one day and I saw two ladies out there selling ducks,” said Morris. “You adopt a duck. I got two for my kids— they’ll like them. They’re cool little ducks. I put in the money, got the two ducks and really thought nothing else of it.”
Without a thought of winning, Morris adopted a rubber duck that came in first in the June 1 event, held at Smythe Park on Daniel Island. The captain with CFD received a total of $10,000 for the win.
“I was pretty excited,” he laughed. “We’ve got a lot going on. We’ve got a fourth child due in October, so I was pretty excited about that.”
Before a dollar was spent, Morris knew right where it would go.
“We’re going to be putting it towards this fourth child,” he said. “We had already had a plan for a trip to Disney with the kids, so it’ll go to all that.”
The Charleston Fire Department helped with the event, by providing manpower and a fire hose to propel the ducks forward during their “race” to the finish line. The team that participated in the event was a separate shift from Morris’.
The Duck Race, now in its 13th year, is hosted by the Rotary Club of Daniel Island and other local participating Rotary organizations. Each duck is adopted for $10. Approximately $20,000 of the funds raised is dispersed to the owners of the first seven ducks to cross the finish line. The rest of the proceeds go to several different causes in the Lowcountry, including Trident Technical College’s Youth Apprenticeship Program, Camp Happy Days, Water Mission, and Meals on Wheels.
Up to 30,000 rubber ducks can be adopted for the race.
This year also saw the most Rotary Clubs from the Lowcountry participate in the Duck Race, expanding its reach.
When asked if he would participate in the duck race next year, Morris said, “sure.”
“I think it’s an awesome event to be able to give back money to those charities. It’s a great fundraiser,” he added. “It’s going towards a good cause. It’s all fun.”
2019 Duck Race winners!
1st Place, $10,000 – Karl Morris
2nd Place, $5,000 – Kate Maas
3rd Place, $1,000 – Andrew Hagood
4th Place, $1,000 – Jan Studin
5th Place, $1,000 – St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church
6th Place, $1,000 – David Ayres
7th Place, $1,000 – Wade Sams