In Santa Clarita’s triple-digit heat, the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center held its 21st Annual Duck Dash last weekend.
Thousands upon thousands of rubber ducks got their flippers ready to compete for first place through a series of waves.
“This is our signature event,” said Gloria Mercado-Fortine, Chairwoman of the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center.
“This is our major fundraising event that we do to cover a lot of the costs for patients that are uninsured or underinsured,” said Mercado-Fortine.
However, the duck dash wasn’t always on such a large scale. Philip Solomon, who has been working for 10 years as the CEO of the health center, has seen how the Duck Dash has changed year by year.
“The history started 21 years ago in someone’s backyard,” said Solomon.
“Community members got together knowing that this agency needed to have a fundraiser to help offset the cost for individuals and families who can’t afford health care services,” said Solomon.
From backyards to aquatic centers, the Duck Dash has been able to raise funds and help those in need by taking financial stress off of families when health issues do arise.
“We want to be able to be that organization that is a safety net for them so that they can get the care they need at either very little or to no cost to them,” said Solomon.
