Lucky duck: Ormond Beach Elks Duck Drop raises almost $10,000 for charity

The Ormond Beach Elks Lodge 2193 dropped a record 1,500 rubber ducks at their second annual event on Saturday, Sept. 7.

  • By Michele Meyers
  • | 3:00 p.m. September 12, 2024
  • Ormond Beach Observer
  • Neighbors
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A total of 1,500 toy ducks took to the sky at the second annual Elks Duck Drop on Sept. 7, raising $9,951.

The funds raised exceeded the dollars raised at the inaugural fundraiser held last year. The rubber ducks were dropped from a helicopter onto the Ormond Beach Elks Lodge 2193’s parking lot, located at 285 Wilmette Ave.

The lodge’s exalted ruler, Joe Brozyna, organized the event last year with Neal Tomlinson, owner of Tomlinson Aviation in Ormond Beach. This year, an event committee was established in March with Elks activities and entertainment chair Deb Symington at the helm.

“This is one of our biggest events,” she said. “I had a lot of ideas last year and they said, ‘You’re chairing it next year.’”

New this year was a dunk tank, tents for the volunteers and a focus on promotions. Symington said she began promoting five months prior to the event, selling hundreds of tickets during a trip to New Jersey she took a couple months ago. In 2022, she and her husband Mickey Symington moved to Florida from New Jersey, where she was also a member of an Elks lodge.

“One thing that helped us was, we have been promoting these duck tickets for months,” she said. “You couldn’t come into the lodge and not know we were having a duck event. There’s no way people could get away without buying a duck ticket.”

This is something we’re doing to bring in younger members that have children. The kids come and have fun and hopefully their parents have fun. Then the parents can learn about what the Elks do for veterans, for our children and for our community." — JOE BROZYNA, Ormond Beach Elks Lodge 2193 exalted ruler

In an effort to keep cost down and increase the amount of funds earmarked for Elks’ programs, Brozyna said they decided to keep the food in-house instead of having food trucks. House committee chairman and chef Robert Berardi grilled with fellow Elks — Holly Hill IT Manager Scott Gutauckis and Steven Searle. They served bratwurst smothered in peppers and onions, hamburgers, churros and popcorn. The Keg-N-Stein was also available for beer purchases.

In addition to the duck drop and dunk tank, event-goers could participate in a 50/50 raffle, cakewalks and cornhole throughout the day, a Chinese auction and music by DJ Mick Kauffman.

Proceeds from this year’s event will be split between the Elks scholarship fund, the Elks National Foundation, the Harry Anna Trust fund and the building fund. Last year, the funds went toward the purchase of two new therapy vans and to hire two new therapists. According to the Elks website, Florida Elks Children’s Therapy Services provides in-home physical and occupational therapy to Florida children in need of such services.

Beth Thiers is an occupational therapist with the Florida Elks Children’s Therapy Services. She wore a dinosaur suit at the duck drop while educating people about the the program and its benefits.

“We don’t do a pity party for our children because we think they’re awesome and wonderfully made,” she said. “We feel when we get a child into our program, that we are there to help them reach the potential they came here to be.”

Retired policeman, Vic McClellan was manning the Elks drug awareness trailer at the event. He also currently serves on the Elks national committee for government relations. He said the most recent addition to the children’s therapy services is focused on diagnosing and treating autism. 

“It’s a new program we’ve started — I think it has a good future,” he said. “It’s something that is needed. The diagnosis of autism is not cheap and not plentiful. It’s a shame that kids have to wait four or five years get diagnosed. The quicker that it is diagnosed, the better.”

The Elks organization provides support for local communities through scholarship programs, children’s and veterans’ services, educational and sports programs and a youth camp, to name a few. Brozyna said he wanted to organize an event where kids would have fun while their parents would get a chance to learn about the Elks and possibly become members.

“In order to get younger members, you have to be family friendly,” he said. “You’ve got to let children into the lodge and make it friendly to them. This is something we’re doing to bring in younger members that have children. The kids come and have fun and hopefully their parents have fun. Then the parents can learn about what the Elks do for veterans, for our children and for our community.”

 

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