(HELEN) On October 24 – during the peak weekend of Oktoberfest – Family Promise of White & Habersham will launch its most exciting ‘fun’raising event of the year — the Great Helen Duck Race.
Event organizers will launch 2,400 unsinkable little yellow rubber ducks into the Chattahoochee River across from Paul’s Margarita Deck and watch them race to the finish line at the Helen Festhalle. The first duck to cross the finish line will win a $1,000 cash prize for its sponsor. This year, Family Promise has added second and third place prizes, as well.
The cost to sponsor a duck in the race is $5 per duck or you can get a raft of five ducks for $20. Call the Family Promise Day Center at (706) 865-7725 or purchase tickets online at Event Brite. You may also purchase tickets on-site in Helen up until 2 p.m. on the day of the race. The race begins at 4 p.m. on October 24. You do not have to be present to win.
Family Promise Week
This year’s duck race will mark the end of Family Promise Week, which is a week set aside each year to spotlight the problems associated with homelessness in our area. Family Promise of White & Habersham is an affiliate of Family Promise, a nationwide effort to help children and families who are homeless regain their sustainable independence.
The week of Sunday, October 18 through Sunday, October 25 is designated as Family Promise Week and will help spread awareness of the crisis of family homelessness across communities in Northeast Georgia.
Family Promise of White & Habersham (FPWH) was established in 2013 to assist families in the local community. Last year, volunteers and twelve church congregations associated with the nonprofit gave 14,905 volunteer hours, provided 3,862 bed nights, and served 11,253 meals. They served 32 children and 26 adults and supported 319 families through referrals connecting them with additional programs and services, according to the agency. The program’s success rate, measured by the number of families who received assistance and are still sustaining independence, has grown to 86%, says Martie Brooks of FPWH.
Family Promise of White & Habersham is the only homeless shelter in White County and is an essential resource for homeless children in Habersham and their families. FPWH provides services to both help overcome and prevent homelessness through a strong network of local church congregations and volunteers who provide overnight/weekend shelter, home-cooked meals, and loving fellowship for families who enter the program for an average of three months. Comprehensive case management, education, training programs, and counseling services are made available to move our guests from a state of homelessness to a position of self-sustainability.
To learn more about the organization, donate, or volunteer, visit FPWH online.
