Rubber Ducky fans are quacking up over the United Way of Cape May County’s 2010 “Quack Pack” – a fun pack of five rubber duckies for the price of four.

Each box of ducky fun includes five chances to win great prizes in the Rubber Ducky Regatta on Aug. 15, plus all the perks of ducky ownership. That includes five hot dogs and a sodas from Wreckers Grill on race day; five free rides on Mariners Landing’s Giant Ferris Wheel and five buy one get one free ice cream from Wildwood Dairy Queen. And the best part is the price. This ducky party in a box is just $20, a five dollar savings compared to the cost of buying each duck separately.

Each box contains two new 2010 duckies, two hard-to-find collector’s ducks from previous Rubber Ducky Regattas and one “Quack Pack” exclusive duck. They are flying off the shelves at many area businesses all around the county, including Cape Bank, Crest Savings Bank, PNC, 1st Bank Sea Isle, Cape May Carriage Company and Miracles Fitness (both locations). Proceeds fund local programs that make Cape May County a better place for everyone.

So get your “Quack Pack” and get in on the fun. Having one rubber duck compete in the Rubber Ducky Regatta at Mariner’s Landing is just ducky, but having a nestful of fun promises to make race day one you won’t forget. For more information, visit uwcmc.org or call 729-2002

Ducky salespersons are needed at the following times/locations.
If you can help us out please fill out the volunteer form below.

The United Way of Cape May County is one duck closer to a successful Rubber Ducky Regatta on Aug. 15. As the Leader reported last week, four United Way of Cape May County rubber duckies were reported missing after they flew the coop during a visit to the Mariners Landing Ghost Ship, but thanks to Frank Dragotta, of Philadelphia, one has been found.
Dragotta guessed that Suzy Spa Duck had found her sweet spot at the Candy Wheel on the Boardwalk at Magnolia Avenue, and he was correct. She was found giving herself a Skittle spa treatment and chowing down on Dilly Bars from Boardwalk Dairy Queen next door.

“Sometimes a girl’s got to treat herself,” she said.

For his efforts, Dragotta will receive a prize pack of gifts from local businesses, and he will be entered into a drawing for the Grand Prize, which includes a Seaside Fun Pack of Morey’s Piers passes, Tram Car tickets, and admission for two to the Sweet Soul and Rock ‘n Roll Concert at the Wildwoods Convention Center on Labor Day weekend. The concert features entertainment by Little Anthony and the Imperials, The Temptations Review with Dennis Edwards and The Spinners, plus celebrity impersonator Linda Axelrod as Joan Rivers.

Suzy Spa Duck has now returned to United Way’s Duck Training Center and is preparing for race day, but sadly, three ducks remain missing, and the United Way needs to get its ducks in a row for the Regatta. They are asking Gazette readers for help.

Police recently received a lead on Cowgal Sal ducky. Please study the note and pictures that contain clues to her whereabouts. If you think you know where she is, email your tip to flewthecoop@uwcmc.org before noon, Saturday, July 24 to be eligible for this week’s prize. Please include your name, hometown, phone number and a description and location of the duck’s hiding place. A winner will be randomly selected from all complete and correct entries.

Here’s the clue:

Yeehaw!!! You’d never think a tough cowgirl like me would find a comfy spot amid all this Victorian charm. It’s no rodeo, but golly, it’s great here. We clippity-clop along the streets night and day, learning all about the history of this fancy place. I’ve seen a wedding and a few proposals, and the romance of it all leaves me feeling like it might not be too bad to be a cultured lady duck after all. Ya’ll stop by the mall, and we’ll show you some southern Cape May County hospitality.

The 2010 United Way of Cape May County Rubber Duckies have arrived and are just waiting to waddle into your life!

For a donation of just $5, each ducky comes with a chance to win fabulous prizes at the 17th Annual Rubber Ducky Regatta, Aug. 15, plus a passport to race day fun that includes a free ride on Morey’s Giant Ferris Wheel, a hot dog and a coke, plus a buy-one-get-one-free ice cream from Boardwalk Dairy Queen for dessert.

The five new ducky mascots include: Suzy Spa Duck, Cowgal Sassy Sal, Ron the Rocker and E.M.S. Eddie. Plus, one mysterious ducky is waiting to introduce himself at the Rubber Ducky Regatta, at Morey’s Mariner’s Landing.
Ducks are currently on sale at: Cape Bank, Crest Savings Bank, PNC Bank, 1st Bank of Sea Isle City, and many other local businesses. Proceeds help the United Way of Cape May County to fund important local programs that help county residents lead better lives.

For more information on the Rubber Ducky Regatta or how you can help, call 609-729-2002.

An afternoon of fun on Sunday, July 4, turned quickly to one of chaos for the United Way of Cape May County, when four celebrity rubber ducks went missing on Mariner’s Landing Pier, just weeks before the annual Rubber Ducky Regatta.
The ducks, who are in training for the regatta, were visiting the Boardwalk to get a sneak peak of the Lazy River in Raging Water’s Water Park, where crowds of ducky fans will gather on Aug. 15 to watch thousands of rubber ducks race for prizes in the United Way’s biggest fundraising event.

United Way staff became alarmed, however, when the ducks failed to return to ducky headquarters by their 8 p.m. curfew.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time the gullible rubber duckies have fallen victim to fowl play. Occasionally, the pressure of preparing for the big race gets to them, and they feel the need to duck out for a while.

This time, however, investigators believe that the duckies may have just chickened out. A paparazzi of duck fans last spotted the ducks in front of Morey’s new Ghost Ship attraction at about 6 p.m. on Sunday. Witnesses reported that the ducks seemed to be planning on entering the creepy craft, but their feathers were obviously ruffled.

“A little bird told me they were terrified of becoming dead ducks,” Detective Drake Hunter, said, “but they didn’t want to be seen as chickens. I don’t blame them for flying the coop. Did you hear what happens to birds in the galley of that boat?”

Hunter said he has already received clues to one duck’s whereabouts, but he needs your help to find her. Study the picture and letter from Suzy Spa Duck, and if you think you have located her, email your tip to flewthecoop@uwcmc.org before noon, Saturday, July 17. Please include your name, hometown, phone number and a description and location of the duck’s hiding place to be eligible to win. A winner will be randomly selected each week from all correct entries and announced here next week.

Here’s the clue:

Dear ducky fans,
I know you expect fearlessness from me, but to be honest, that ship razzled my nerves and sent them aflutter. Please don’t snicker. I’ve settled into a sweet spot now, and I’m feeling like a lucky ducky to have landed here. Just a few blocks from that vile sea vessel is my rainbow world of bursting stars and lifesavers. Stop by for a visit, and for just 25 cents you could be lucky, too. If not, you could get your sugar daddy to treat you to a Dilly Bar next door. Find me if you can.

Hugs and Kisses,
Spa Duck Sal

It’s time to get quackin’. The United Way of Cape May County’s Rubber Ducky Regatta is just around the corner on Aug. 15, and there’s lots of work to be done.

That’s why volunteers from Cape Bank joined United Way Financial and Development Director, Stephanie Hoover and Board Member Jessica Gonzales, of Sturdy Bank, for a day of duck-sorting fun at the official United Way “Rubber Duck Training Center” at Coastline Cooling and Heating in Burleigh.

The ducks will be distributed this week, and soon they will be available at local banks and businesses to benefit United Way sponsored programs.

Old favorites like the Fireman and Soccer ducks are finding their places among new friends like the Rock and Roll duck and the Cowgirl duck–each one charming in his or her own way, and eager for adoption by Rubber Ducky fans. New duck parents are also eligible to win fantastic prizes from local businesses at the Regatta at Morey’s Raging Water’s water park next month.

But there is still plenty of work to be done in preparation for the United Way’s biggest fundraising event of the year, and the duckies need your help.

If you can lend a hand, the United Way offers many volunteer opportunities, where you can make friends (feathered and otherwise) with people dedicated to making Cape May County the best that it can be. To see how you can help, call 609-729-2002, or visit uwcmc.org

The current economic crisis is taking its toll on the United Way of Cape May County. The charity lost a major state grant earlier this year, and on Tuesday, June 15 its executive board voted with regret to approve a staff restructuring that would eliminate the position of longtime Executive Director, Suzanne Nardi.

Unfortunately, recent cuts to state grants and declining donations put a strain on the organization. As a result, the board decided that eliminating the executive position would allow the United Way to continue its mission and maintain funding levels for many local programs. It’s a dilemma many other charities and non-profits are also facing.

Nardi was employed by the county United Way for 20 years, during which time, she oversaw the implementation of the agency’s First Call for Help food pantry and hot lunch program and worked with hundreds of volunteers, partner agencies and donors to assist Cape May County residents in crisis. She is perhaps most familiar as the person who launched and maintained the now-famous Rubber Ducky Regatta.

“It was a difficult decision for everyone,” Board President Jim Farrell said. “But with the decrease in funding, it is necessary. We are grateful to Suzanne for all she’s done in the community, and we wish her the best in all her future endeavors.”

The United Way will continue its work in the community, Farrell said, but more that ever the board will rely on volunteers and a part-time administrative staff person to get the job done.

“We are an important organization in our community,” Farrell said, “And we are making changes so that we can be a stronger organization now and in the future.”

For more information on how you can support United Way of Cape May County, call 609-729-2002.

It’s a call for help. Not the first, and hopefully not the last.

But unless United Way of Cape May County is able to replace the “First Call for Help” grant that helped fund its local food pantry and hot lunch program, its doors may close.

That’s why Marc Lambert, of Senior Excursions, Wildwood, is hoping to enlist the help of a few like-minded Cape May County business owners to keep the food pantry open.
The agency was recently notified that the $13,477 grant, which funds the program’s administrative and operating expenses, would not be renewed. Lambert learned about the shortfall last week and quickly volunteered to help.

The amount is big burden for one business or individual to shoulder on their own, but Lambert believes that donations by a few committed people in the community can keep the pantry and hot lunch program in business. If ten local businesses can donate $1,347, the money for the pantry’s operating budget will be restored.

“We can form our own grant to replace the one they lost.” He said. “We’re the first to sign on, but now we need five or six or seven or more people that are willing to pitch in,” he said.

Lambert, who runs a travel company that specializes in bus trips for seniors, brings hundreds of thousands of people to Southern New Jersey every year–often in the off-season. He said contributing to charity has always been a part of the company mission, but now more than ever he feels its important to do what he can in his own community.

“We are going to try to stay local,” he said. “There are people right here that need our help.”

Lambert had already offered to support the United Way by sponsoring a duck in this year’s Rubber Ducky Regatta on Aug. 15, but when he learned the food pantry was threatened, he wanted to do more.

It hasn’t been easy, though.  He has reached out to a few local business owners already, but so far no one has committed to his effort.
“Times are tough, but we are trying like heck to do what we can,” he said.

With the help of volunteers, the United Way pantry and hot lunch program has been providing support to local residents and families in crisis for three decades. They provide a safety net to families when unemployment strikes or when an unexpected emergency or rising bills leave no money for food and other basic needs.

“We have always been there to help people when they need it most,” United Way Executive Director, Suzanne Nardi said. But now, as tough economic times put more strains on the family budget than ever, the funding shortfall might force the pantry to shut its doors.

“We don’t want that to happen,” Nardi said, and she is grateful to Lambert for his efforts. “There are so many good and generous people in our community. They have never let us down before, and I believe they will not let us down now.”

To learn more about how you can help, call the United Way of Cape May County at 609-729-2002 or Marc Lambert at 609-729-9331.

The HOT LUNCH program provided by the Cape May County United Way has lost its grant and is in need of some local support!

In effort to help, Fitzpatrick’s Crest Tavern is holding a Give-Back Day for the United Way on May 20 from 6-9 p.m.–a family-friendly barbecue fundraiser to help keep the pantry in business.

Spanky’s BBQ will be providing a good old-fashioned barbecue dinner for a donation of $10 or more to the United Way. There will be fun, prizes and give-always, including a chance to win two Phillies tickets. Plus it’s a chance to give back to an organization that helps so many in our community.

The State is slashing budgets, but those in need still require a helping hand. The United Way has never needed your support more than now. Please stop by to help. Call 609-729-2002 for more information.

Leave your smoking jacket at home.  This year the United Way of Cape May County’s Cigar Dinner is celebrating the approach of summer at Westy’s Irish Pub, 101 East Walnut Avenue, North Wildwood, where friends can enjoy food, drinks and cigars in a relaxed, informal style with a view of Hereford Inlet.

The popular event, scheduled for 6-10 p.m. on Thursday, June 3, is a great way to get a jumpstart on the weekend. Tickets are $55 or two for $100 and include hors d’oeuvres, dinner, two drinks (beer and house wine) and two cigars. Space is limited, so grab a group of friends and call 609-729-2002 to reserve your spot. The event helps fund United Way programs that improve the lives of Cape May County residents