Caboolture River rubber ducky race for Smart Pups
A WAVE of sunshine will soon be racing down the Caboolture River, in the form of a fundraising rubber duck race.
Noah Delaney's dedicated mother Rachael is holding the playful event to raise $15,000 for her son, who has a range of disorders, to gain a friend and guidance through an Autism Assistance Dog.
"Our goal is to get a thousand ducks in the water - we're borrowing them from the PA Research Foundation's Great Brisbane Duck Race," Rachael said.
"It was a family friend who suggested it and the feedback has been pretty positive so far."
Rachael said Noah was a bright, talented and loving 13-year-old boy who also had autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, tourette's and sensory processing disorder.
"It's really hard for Noah, because he filters the world all at the same time and it's completely overwhelming," Rachael said.
"He gets upset and it frightens him," she said, adding that it had restricted the Year 8 student to just three half days a week at school. Noah described it as "floating in the world".
"The dog will be his constant companion, as at the moment he feels alone.
"He doesn't have a lot of friends, in fact he has very few, as he physically cannot join a club because he can't be there for any amount of time. Most people don't understand where he's coming from."
Costly exercise
It costs $25,000 to train and place one of the Autism Assistance Dogs through Smart Pups, which raises $10,000 of the total for each of their families.
The remaining $15,000 must be raised by the families themselves.
"Luckily, Noah has been accepted into the Smart Pups program as a recipient of an Autism Assistance Dog," Rachael said.
"As you can imagine, raising an amount of this kind is extremely difficult, especially for a family already dealing with a child with special needs."
Noah's family has been granted permission by Moreton Bay Regional Council and the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection to put on the rubber duck race down Caboolture River as a major fundraiser.
People can view the entire race from Centenary Lakes, and there will also be cold drinks and a sausage sizzle held at Apex Park.
Rubber Duck Derby
WHAT: Rubber Duck Derby fundraiser
WHERE: Caboolture River, between the footbridge off the Esplanade (on the Caboolture side) and the Morayfield Rd overpass
WHEN: Sunday, June 22, kick off at 10am
COST: $5 to sponsor a duck, with all sponsorships over $2 made to Smart Pups fully tax-deductible
CONTACT: Phone Rachael Delaney on 0401 010 441 or email rachael.is@hotmail.com
For more information go to www.facebook.com/noahautismdog or www.smartpups.org.au (and don't forget to comment that the donation is for Noah.D's Dog)