Page 22 - Middletown Magazine Issue 3 Autumn 2023

What The

Duck?

by Nick Giordano
The ducks are back! The name of this fundraiser may be a play on a naughty little
phrase, but there’s nothing naughty about it. In fact, it’s downright fun. Children, adults
and families alike will have a great time with this very creative fundraiser that helps
support the goPink+ initiative in association with Middlesex Healthcare. So how did
it start?
he original duck fundraiser for go- Downtown Middletown and throughout
TPink+, one of many fundraisers asso- Middlesex County a bit earlier, from Octo-
ciated with this initiative, was started by ber 1st through October 31st. How does it
EG Salon in 2019 and was the brainchild work? If you would like to participate you
of their owners, Ellie Gagnon and Geor- make a donation which gets you a small,
gie Moskey and it came in the form of a medium or large duck. The ducks are
duck race! Rubber ducks were launched two-dimensional plywood cutouts which
down a creek near The Blackbird Tavern in you can pick up at the Middletown Parks
Middlefield. Participants would purchase a Department in early September. You then
duck to enter in the race and the winners get your creative juices flowing and deco-
were then entered into a drawing to win rate your duck and can display it in front of
prizes. The fundraiser was so popular that your location in downtown Middletown or
it has been brought back each year since. in Middlesex County. If you do not want to
Along the same duck theme and capital- display it at those locations you can return
izing on the fundraiser’s popularity, the the duck to the Middletown Parks Depart-
group decided to add another event…and ment where it will be displayed in a com-
What the duck? was born. Supporting the mon area in downtown Middletown. At
goPink+ non profit and cancer patients, the end of the contest the public will vote
What the Duck? is a wooden duck deco- on who has decorated the best duck with
rating contest with all the painted ducks the top 3 vote getting ducks and their cre-
being displayed in downtown Middletown. ators photographed with a “Duck Award.”

cer Center is able to provide extra support
to families where in some cases, there are
no insurance reimbursements. During the
month of October, which is breast cancer
awareness month, salons, businesses and
schools participate in many of these fund-
raisers. The Cancer Center provides what’s
called “integrative medicine” a comple-
mentary treatment to conventional cancer
care which focuses on the whole person
and is designed to help patients find relief
from the devastating disease. Another key
element of the goPink+ initiative is that all
monies received stay local as opposed to a These fundraisers are organized in collab-
national organization where the money is oration with Middlesex Cancer Center,
Before getting into how the contest works, distributed across the country. The duck the Middlesex County Chamber of Com-
a little bit about goPink+ and some of the race and What the Duck? are only two of merce, the City of Middletown and the
services provided by the Cancer Center the many fundraisers conducted through- Downtown Business District. Ticket pric-
with the donations received. Started in out the year supporting goPink+ and all es for the Downtown Waddle are $25.00
2010, goPINK+, has raised over $395,000 are critical for Middlesex Health Cancer for adults and $10.00 for anyone under
and has helped over 2100 cancer patients Center to continue to provide the profes- 21 or a designated driver. For more infor-
by providing free integrative medicine sional and necessary services to their pa- mation about these and other fundraisers
therapy, including those patients with tients. supporting the goPink+ initiative, please
breast cancer, at Middlesex Health Cancer visit www.middlesexhealth.org/gopink or
Center. Many of us have been touched in Now back to the ducks. The actual kickoff contact Sarah Moore, Executive Director
some way with cancer both directly and for the fundraiser is called the Downtown of Development at Middlesex Healthcare.
indirectly and it is frightening. With dona- Waddle, which is held on October 4th from
tions to goPink+, Middlesex Health Can- 3-8 PM but the ducks will be on display in Let’s get quackin’ everyone!

22 Middletown Magazine - Autumn Issue 2023