By Robin GOLDSWORTHY

The Kiwanis Club of Glendale held its annual Kids Incredible Duck Splash on Saturday afternoon at Verdugo Park. Hundreds of folks were on hand to cheer on the 21,009 adopted ducks as they made their way down “Lake Glendale,” a manmade lake created for the event by members of the Glendale Fire Dept.

“It was heartwarming to see the community come together and enjoy the festivities,” said Kiwanis Glendale Duck Chair and President Designate 2023-2024 Irma Villegas.

And there was plenty to see. Five game booths with assorted children’s games were run by K-Kids, the youth arm of Kiwanis Glendale, from Fremont and Horace Mann elementary schools and Key Club members from Hoover and Holy Family high schools. Additional duck splash sponsor booths provided information to visitors. These included booths from Pacific BMW, which was on-site with its new fully electric BMW iX M60 Sports Activity Vehicle. Also providing information were representatives from Forest Lawn, Glendale Orthodontics, Glendale YMCA/YMCA of the Foothills, Pet Rush Inn, Glendale Community College and USC-VHH. Additional booths were provided by Assistance League of Glendale, The Campbell Center, Ballet Folklorico Mexico Azteca and Glendale Public Library.

Food was provided by the Kiwanis Club of Simi Valley.

A highlight of the day was the announcement of who won the big money in the duck races. More than $13,500 was distributed to duck adoptees. Winners of $500 were Alejandro Ortiz Cazares, Edna Karinski and Marilyn Guyer. Taking home $1,000 was Raymond Morales and Toni Espinoza. The grand prize of $10,000 was won by Randy Shoup, DDS. Dr. Shoup is a dentist in Indianapolis who said he will use the money for his dental outreach project in Kenya. 

The day raised funds – and fun – for an organization that works hard on having a positive impact on the community.

“At the core of our Kiwanis International Objectives lies the belief in prioritizing human and spiritual values over material ones, and promoting a culture of altruistic service and higher standards,” said Villegas. “The Duck Splash event truly embodied these values, and we are proud of what we achieved together.”