BRADENTON Fla. — Callaway Johnson arrived at Firkins, an auto dealership in Bradenton, just before 5 p.m. on Monday evening, ready to help place numbered stickers on more than 30,000 yellow rubber duckies.

What You Need To Know

  • Saturday, May 11, along the Manatee River in Bradenton is the Lucky Ducky Race for Pace

  • It is the 15th fundrasier for Manatee County's Pace Center for Girls 

  • Pace Center for Girls offers life, health and academic assistance to middle school and high school girls 

Johnson joined more than 100 other volunteers in Bradenton as they prepped for the Lucky Ducky Race for Pace.

It’s a major fundraiser for the Pace Center for Girls.

Johnson, a rising senior at Manatee High School, helped get her service group Mam’Selles to volunteer.

“Bringing in my closest friends who share the same passion that I do,” said Johnson, “It’s really a special moment we can bond over.”

The Center offers life, health and academic help for middle and high school girls.

Heather Shrum has been organizing the event since its inception in 2009.

“Well, the first year, we raised 5,000 ducks — we didn’t even sell them all," she said. "And this year we are up to 32,000, and we are gonna sell out just like we did last year at 30,000.”

And all the money raised, like the $180,000 in 2023, goes directly to girls in the Pace program.

Pace helps girls dealing with family trauma like abuse, addiction, even girls who’ve been trafficked.

Johnson helps because she believes their problems are her problems too.

“Sometimes you take these things for granted — how lucky you can be,” she said.