<< Back 5/8/02 ‘Ducks on the Tuck’ raises $14,000 for Jackson New Century Scholars SMN Everyone involved with the second-annual Ducks on the Tuck race ended up with a positive result last week. Shirley Fredrikson of Jackson County and Peggy Wike of Jackson County won trips to South Carolina beaches, and 120 other people were the recipients of prizes as well. Approximately 2,500 ducks were adopted for this year’s race. But the biggest winners of all are the Jackson County New Century Scholars. The estimated $14,000 that was raised will benefit the program, which provides last-dollar scholarships to selected youngsters in the area. Donations are still coming in, and organizers say they expect that proceeds raised by the event will allow Jackson County to award scholarships to approximately 60 students. “The community support for this has been tremendous in all aspects from ticket purchasers to prize donations to corporate sponsorships,” said Patty Wilson, Jackson County New Century Scholars Coordinator. “The outpouring of support shows how much Jackson County citizens believe in this program and what it’s doing for our youth.” Wilson also expressed her appreciation to the dozens of people who volunteered to help make this year’s race a success, including the members of Trout Unlimited who caught the ducks as they crossed the finish line. Corporate sponsors for this year’s race are: Crisp Hughes Evans LLP; Allison’s Chevrolet-Jeep; Smoky Mountain High School; Simply T’s; Jackson Paper; Cullowhee Valley School; United Community Bank; The Painter, Inc.; and the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about the New Century Scholars program, call Wilson at 293.5667 or Becky Medford, Director of the SCC Foundation, at 586.4091, ext. 218.