Staff
Less than a dozen tickets remain for the 26th-annual Ducks Unlimited banquet—set for May 1 at La Place Rendez-Vous—so the time to buy one is now if you’re hoping to attend this year.
The local banquet has become one of the leading DU fundraisers in Ontario, raising money in support of the non-profit organization that aims to preserve wetlands for migratory waterfowl.
Last year’s banquet here raised $25,500—helping bring the total amount raised locally to $605,660.43 since the inaugural event back in 1983.
“We’ve made an average donation in and around the $25,000 mark each and every year,” said Rick Hallam, chairperson of the Fort Frances DU chapter.
“That money goes to enhance, protect, and maintain wetlands,” he noted. “And [DU] is an international organization that does a lot of great things, especially here in Canada and the northern United States.”
Hallam said there once again will be a variety of auctions and raffles that are sure to generate plenty of excitement.
“There’s some really great prizes, and lots of events going on simultaneously with dinner,” he enthused. “There’s a live auction where we’ll auction off some really great wildlife works of art, prints and different artifacts, bronze statues, carvings.
“Just some really great stuff.”
Many of the prizes are donated by local artists and businesses—making the event a truly local experience.
“When you have local artists donating work, whether it is outdoor furniture or duck decoys and that sort of thing, it just adds to the local flavour,” Hallam stressed.
“We’re always looking for anybody who wants to donate articles that would be suitable for the event, and we welcome it and really appreciate it because it makes our event even more successful,” he reasoned.
Hallam, who has been involved with the local DU branch for more than seven years, is serving out the last of his two-year term as chair but vows to stay involved with the organization for many years to come.
“I’ll probably be handing off to someone else after this year, as I committed to a two-year term when I signed on,” he noted.
“It’s been a rewarding two years and I’m looking forward to staying on the committee for who knows how many more years, but just not as the chairperson.”
Ducks Unlimited, in its 71st year of existence, is Canada’s leading wetland conservation organization.
It has preserved, rehabilitated, and created thousands of hectares of wetlands for migratory waterfowl across Canada since its inception.
