The Brazos River Rubber Duck Race raises money to give free books to children

WACO, Texas (KWTX) – The Imagination Library of Waco held its second annual rubber duck race in the Brazos River to fund the donation of free books to children under five.

The Imagination Library of Waco is a subsidiary of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Parton founded the organization in Tenessee in 1995. It has since spread to other cities.

The organization provides children with free reading materials. Any resident of a Waco ZIP code can sign up to receive a free children’s book every month until their child turns five.

Kevin Baker, co-founder of the Imagination Library of Waco, said the annual Duck Race fundraiser is critical to the organization’s operations.

“That’s how we pay for our program every year,” Baker said.

Baker said the fundraiser was also about raising awareness of the program.

“Some people don’t know that they can get free children’s books,” Baker, “And so we want to make sure that all children can get free children’s books and that all of our children grow up in a household where they have access to books.”

Local businesses competed to sell the largest number of ducks for the race. The Casa De Castillo restaurant took first place with over 2,700 ducks.

Casa De Castillo owner Mary Lou Castillo said that as a former educator, the mission of the Imagination Library of Waco is important to her.

“Anything that has to do with reading in general in low-income neighborhoods is hugely important to me,” Castillo said. “And it’s easy to sell. Talk to people about it? Simply. People are just giving money left and right.”

Last year, Casa De Castillo also sold the most ducks.

The Imagination Library of Waco sold all 12,000 ducks available for purchase.

Ducks sold for $5 each. The organization raised over $60,000.

The first place finisher in the rubber duck race received $1,500.

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