Students from throughout the Santa Clarita Valley are invited to submit their entries for the “Gotta Regatta!” creative essay writing and poster contest to be held in conjunction with Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers Inc.’s (SDFHC) 10th Annual Rubber Ducky Festival.

Classroom teachers of participating students will be entered into a random drawing in which one teacher will be selected to receive a $200 classroom grant. One winner from each participating school will be selected, and winning entries will be displayed at the Festival, Saturday, Oct. 27 at Bridgeport Park on Newhall Ranch Road in Valencia from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Essays must be 250 words or less; posters may be up to 11″ x 17″ in size. Each entry must include the student’s name, school of attendance, grade level, and teacher’s name. The contest runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 12. All entries should be received by Tuesday, Oct. 16 at the SDFHC office located at 25115 West Avenue Stanford, Ste. 104. The entry form will be available on the SDFHC website at www.sdfhc.org .

The annual Rubber Ducky Festival, also known as the Rubber Ducky Regatta, is SDFHC’s  signature fundraising event providing patient care funding throughout the year. Rubber ducks for this year’s event are available for purchase online. This year’s grand prize is a $2,500 gift certificate for Southwest Airlines travel; several other prizes will be available on the day of the race.

Rubber ducks are available for adoption at $5 per duck, making the event affordable for everyone. Other adoption opportunities include: Quack Family (5 ducks plus 1 free duck for $25); Quacker’s Dozen (10 ducks plus 2 free ducks for $50) and Duck Flock (20 ducks plus 4 free ducks for $100). Visit  www.duckrace.com/scv for more information on duck adoptions.

In addition to games and vendor booths, the event will feature free admission, free parking, gourmet food trucks, vendors, activities and entertainment. The fun-filled family festival features rubber ducky regatta races beginning at 12:00 p.m. Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich serves as this year’s Honorary Chairman. City of Santa Clarita Mayor Pro Tem Bob Kellar and Janice Murray, host of the Non-Profit Spotlight show on KHTS AM-1220, co-host the event as Masters of Ceremonies. CBS/KCAL news anchor Sandra Mitchell returns as the celebrity guest.

All proceeds from this event go toward patient care at SDFHC, which offers affordable, quality primary health care for residents of the Santa Clarita Valley. SDFHC makes a special effort to serve the uninsured and underinsured.

SDFHC thanks sponsors of this year’s event: Boston Scientific, SCV Rotary, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, Kaiser Permanente, Point of View Communications, SOS Entertainment, C.A. Rasmussen Inc, and Hands On Santa Clarita, with special thanks to Andel Engineering.  Media partners for this year’s event include: The Signal; The Magazine of Santa Clarita and elite Magazine; Santa Clarita Living Magazine and Canyon Country Magazine; SCVTV; KHTS AM 1220; Smart Shopper; Inside SCV Magazine; Our Valleys Magazine and Edwards Outdoor Advertising.

SDFHC operates three health centers in the Santa Clarita Valley—Canyon Country Health Center, Val Verde Health Center and Newhall Health Center—as well as outreach sites at College of the Canyons and California Institute of the Arts. SDFHC offers a full range of health care services—physicals, immunizations and vaccines, screenings and diagnostic tests, well baby care, and family planning—to those who may not seek health care elsewhere. Patients pay based on their income. This past year, SDFHC provided service for 11,000 patient visits.

About Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers Inc.

SDFHC was established in 1980 and named for long-time Val Verde resident and minister, the late Reverend Samuel Dixon.  As the only non-profit health center founded and based in the Santa Clarita Valley, SDFHC serves the greater Santa Clarita Valley and is governed by a board of directors, all of whom are Santa Clarita residents. The mission of SDFHC is to enhance wellness by providing quality primary health care services and health education to unserved and underserved residents, with a special emphasis on serving the uninsured. Easily accessible services are available for the entire family in both English and Spanish. Medi-Cal, Blue Cross and Healthy Families are all accepted, and a sliding fee scale is offered, keeping health care affordable for all. SDFHC is supported by countless individuals as well as corporate sponsors who help make affordable health care possible. Tax-deductible contributions are welcome. Health services are available at the Val Verde Health Center (661-257-4008), the Canyon Country Health Center (661-424-1220) and the Newhall Health Center (661-291-1777).  www.sdfhc.org