MANKATO — For preschooler Henry Larson, the best part of the Mankato Family YMCA’s Duck Derby race Wednesday was, “putting the ducks down the waterslide.”

Larson and dozens of other preschoolers sat along the pool Wednesday afternoon to watch over 3,000 rubber ducks race down the waterslide and swim to the finish line.

The race wasn’t just a fun day by the water, but a new twist to the Mankato Y’s annual Day of Giving.

YMCA Graphic Design and Marketing Director Liz Zaruba explained, “It’s kind of a 24-hour day where we encourage people to give back to the Y. We wanted to do something different this year and try to get more people in the community involved, and we came up with this idea of doing a Duck Derby.”

It’s something other YMCA locations have done in the past.

Zaruba said the Mankato Family YMCA sold 3,019 ducks for $5. Donors could also purchase packs of ducks for different amounts.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Y raised over $8,000 from the Duck Derby and another $6,000 from business sponsorships.

“We are very excited with that number. We are very happy with all the support that we got from everyone,” Zaruba said.

“All of that money just goes straight back to the Y and to all of our programs like swimming lessons, financial aid, camp scholarships and things like that.”

Preschool Director Kathy Groebner said her students have been involved in other Day of Giving events as well.

“[The students have] been a part of everything that’s been going on, which is one of the biggest bonuses of having preschool here, because all of the things that happen, the preschoolers actually get to be a part of,” she said.

She also shared how the money raised goes back to help the students.

“We get stuff that they need for equipment for the gym, the busy backyard, supplies that they need. It also helps pay grants to any students that may not be able to get funding somewhere else, so it has a lot of benefits.”

The YMCA had a number of prizes for the Duck Derby winners, from $500 for the first place winner to MoonDogs and Mount Kato packages.

“We really tried to make it family friendly so that there are things that the whole family can do,” Zaruba said.

Written by Holly Marie Moore for the Mankato Free Press, May 6, 2026