Great Black Hills Duck Race cancelled due to COVID-19

RAPID CITY, S.D. (April 24, 2020) – The Monument Health Foundation has decided to cancel the 2020 Great Black Hills Duck Race for Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distancing guidelines and estimates on when the disease could peak in South Dakota led to the decision to cancel the largest event for Monument Health’s CMN program.

“As you can imagine, this was a very difficult decision,” said Shawn Powers, Program Manager for Children’s Miracle Network. “Having successfully held 30 consecutive races we wish we did not have to cancel. But as a health care provider, this is the best decision for our caregivers, the community and the children we serve.”

Planning was already underway to make this the final year for the Duck Race event, allowing CMN to focus efforts on other projects emerging within the program. New CMN events will be announced in the future. “While the final race will not happen on July 26, the CMN program at Monument Health will continue working toward its mission of improving kids’ health in our region,” Powers said.

Duck Race Chairperson Kevin Phillips has served on the event committee since its beginning and has seen firsthand the impact it has made. “We’ll be forever grateful for the overwhelming support our community has given to this event through the years, and we hope everyone knows how big of a difference it has made to the children served by Monument Health,” he said. “Even though it has come to an end, the legacy of duck race will live on through the kids impacted by funds raised through 30 wonderful years of the event.”

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About Monument Health
Headquartered in Rapid City, S.D., Monument Health (formerly Regional Health) is a community-based health care system with a mission to make a difference, every day.   The system offers care in 33 medical specialties and serves 20 communities across western South Dakota and in eastern Wyoming. With over 4,500 physicians and caregivers, Monument Health is comprised of 5 hospitals, 8 specialty and surgical centers and more than 40 medical clinics and health care service centers. Monument Health is a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Dan Daly
Communications Specialist
Strategic Marketing and Communications
Monument Health
605-755-9178
ddaly@monument.health