Birds of a feather float together: VPU-2 volunteers for 28th Annual Great Hawaiian Rubber Duckie Race

Photo By Kristen Wong | Sailors and spouses with Special Projects Patrol Squadron 2 pose for a photo while they wait for the race to begin on Kalakaua Avenue Bridge, March 28, 2015. Service members and spouses with the unit volunteered at the 28th Annual Great Hawaiian Rubber Duckie Race, which benefits the Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii. Each year, 20,000 rubber duckies are dropped into the Ala Wai Canal and float toward an oil boom where they are collected. The public can “adopt” a duck with a fee and win prizes if their duck places. The volunteers helped sell merchandise, collect roadside donations and empty the large crates of ducks into the canal for the race. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Kristen Wong/Released)  

HONOLULU, HI, UNITED STATES

04.03.2015

Story by Kristen Wong 

Marine Corps Base Hawaii

HONOLULU — Sailors with Special Projects Patrol Squadron 2 launched squeaky yellow rubber birds for a good cause at the 28th Annual Great Hawaiian Rubber Duckie Race in Honolulu, March 28, 2015.

More than a dozen Sailors with the squadron, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, volunteered for the annual fundraiser that benefits the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawaii.

“I highly praise my volunteers as they were the backbone of this event,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Musicaro, an aviation machinist’s mate with VPU-2. “There is no greater calling than unselfishly devoting oneself to benefit others. Having a daughter with cerebral palsy, their extraordinary efforts really hit close to home. The United Cerebral Palsy Association’s mission is an important one. Cerebral palsy is often overlooked and we need to, as a team, help educate each other.”

Musicaro, of Franklin Square, N.Y., emailed the executive director of the association offering assistance, and recruited Sailors from his unit to help.

One of those Sailors was Petty Officer 2nd Class Teuila Amoa, a personnel specialist with VPU-2. The Honolulu resident thought the race was a creative way to raise awareness about cerebral palsy. She said she looks forward to more opportunities to help the cause.

During the pre-race activities at McCully Shopping Center in Honolulu, the Sailors helped sell merchandise and collect roadside donations.

Musicaro recalled a quote by author Marianne Williamson that inspires him, pointing out a particular line: “When we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.”

The quote, he said, tied into the work on Saturday as some volunteers overcame shyness and eventually came out of their shell.

“When we first got to the volunteer event, some of the volunteers were shy, especially during the roadside collection,” Musicaro said. “When they saw their counterparts approaching strangers to help fundraise, which can be uncomfortable, it became easier for them to follow suit.”

Each year, 20,000 little yellow rubber duckies are dumped from boxes over Kalakaua Avenue Bridge into the Ala Wai Canal, where they float to a waiting oil boom and are collected. Before the race, members of the public have the opportunity to “adopt” a rubber duckie for $5 each. If their duck is one of the first 50 to be collected at the finish line, they win a prize. In addition, the last duck to be collected wins a prize, or the “Lame Duck Award.”

Shortly before 1:28 p.m., the public, UCPAHI staff and volunteers walked to the Kalakaua Avenue Bridge a few minutes away. The rain pelted spectators and event personnel as they waited for the tide to pick up. Although the race time is normally predetermined based on tide and weather conditions, 1:28 p.m. was not quite the right moment this time. About five minutes later, volunteers lifted the boxes and let the ducks hit the water. However, it wasn’t long before everyone noticed that the ducks were actually floating in the wrong direction. This is just one mishap that can and has occurred before. Volunteers with poles crossed the street and event personnel with boats chased the ducks as they emerged on the other side of the bridge.

“This Saturday’s race was one filled with much craziness,” said Donna Fouts, the executive director of UCPAHI. “When the ducks went backwards, the logistical team moved the finish line behind the ducks and we were able to get 50 winners. The funny part to me is that the 50 that won, had the ducks stayed on course, would have been last — but as luck would have it, they instantly became the winning ducks.”

Fouts estimated the association collected somewhere between $48,000 and $50,000 this year.

Cerebral palsy consists of several disorders in which muscle movement is affected according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. There is no cure, but there are treatments for patients with cerebral palsy.

For more information about UCPAHI, visit ucpahi.org.

• Date Taken: 04.03.2015
• Date Posted: 04.03.2015 16:57
• Story ID: 159123
• Location: HONOLULU, HI, US
• Hometown: FRANKLIN SQUARE, NY, US
• Hometown: HONOLULU, HI, US