Special Olympics Illinois celebrates 15 years of #ChiDuckyDerby with public arts display on the Mag Mile
As more member businesses of The Magnificent Mile Association prepare to re-open, including museums and popular attractions, one of the city's oldest business associations is beautifying the district and welcoming visitors back downtown with new public art projects.
Join in and see "Ducks on the Mag Mile," a public art display celebrating the power of what people, business, and community can achieve when promoting a unified world for Special Olympics Illinois athletes.
Highlighting this event will be 25 duck sculptures designed by various professional Chicago artists, some of which who have disabilities including El Valor, Arts of Life, Misericordia, The Chicago Lighthouse Foundation, Search Inc., and Easterseals.
Additionally, JC Rivera, creator of The Bear Champ, and Shawn Smith each brought their creative spin to the Ducks on Mag Mile.
These sculptures are placed along the Magnificent Mile, in Streeterville, River North and Gold Coast neighborhoods through Sept. 27.
The event coincides with the renowned Chicago Ducky Derby, a signature fundraising event for Special Olympics Illinois. Ducks are available for adoption for $5 at www.chicagoduckyderby.com.
The grand prize winner will take home a brand new 2020 Chevy Equinox courtesy of the Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy Dealers. Other prizes include $2,500 cash prize, a VIP experience at the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival, and Chicago Blackhawks tickets.
While the event looks different this year, join Special Olympics Illinois online on Aug. 6 beginning at 11 a.m. via ChicagoDuckyDerby.com for the Virtual Festival hosted by iHeart Media's Paulina and Rufio, and featuring appearances and performances by Mark Cuevas, The Struts, Katie Kadan, Semple Band and more.
The duck sculptures will be on display the eight weeks preceding the Chicago Ducky Derby on Sept. 27. Join the conversation using #ChiDuckyDerby.
The presenting sponsor for the Ducks on Mag Mile is MAKE Corporation. Additional sponsors include Chicago Federation of Labor, National Association of Realtors, Cintas, Geico, In Search of a Cure, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, The Chicago Lighthouse Foundation, Bob DiMeo, Special Olympics Illinois Foundation Board, Special Olympics Illinois Board of Directors, GNP Realty Partners, Law Enforcement Torch Run, CBRE Property Management and 625 North Michigan.
The Chicago Ducky Derby is presented by Gallagher. Additional sponsors include MAKE Corporation, The Sugar Factory, United Airlines, BlueCross BlueShield Association, In Search of a Cure, d'Escoto Inc., Hollister, National Association of Realtors, joybol, Geico, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, The Wrigley Building, Set Environmental, Inc., Zeller Realty Group, Wendella, Great Lakes Coca Cola, Chicago Federation of Labor, Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy Dealers, Apple Vacations, The Magnificent Mile Association, The Chicago Blackhawks, iHeart Media, 93.9 The LITE FM, 103.5 KISS FM, 1075 WGCI FM, FOX 32 Chicago, and Chicago Sun-Times.
Special Olympics Illinois is a nonprofit sports organization offering year-round training and competition in 18 sports for more than 23,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and over 17,000 Young Athletes ages 2-7 with and without intellectual disabilities. It strives to be a global leader in shaping a culture where people with and without intellectual disabilities are fully integrated into the community by providing year-round opportunities in competitive sports, health education, leadership, and personal development. If you are interested in being a part of Special Olympics Illinois and its vision, contact your local region, call (800) 394-0562 or visit www.soill.org.
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