Ely woman’s prize money to pay for trip to Florida

This December, Sarah Ruff plans to take her family on a special vacation.

In July, Ruff, an accountant at Van Meter in Cedar Rapids, won the $10,000 grand prize in the Cedar Rapids Daybreak Rotary's annual duck race.

When Ruff received word that she won the prize, she decided it was time for a trip to Florida.

Ruff and her husband, Adam, have two young daughters. Brenna, 5, and Brielle, 2, who have cystic fibrosis. The girls require daily physical therapy treatments and each take close to 20 pills a day.

Ruff said her daughters are susceptible to lung infections, so the girls are not allowed to swim in the lakes, rivers or creeks near their home in Ely.

'They are able to swim in the saltwater of the ocean,” Ruff said. 'This summer my five-year-old has been having a hard time and asking questions of why her friends get to go to the beach and why did they get to go swimming.

'When we won this money, we decided we are going to take a trip to Florida so the girls can go swim at the beach.”

The Ruffs' plan is to travel to Orlando, spend a week at Disney World and then visit Cocoa Beach.

'It really means a lot,” Ruff said. 'As the girls get older, their health will decline. We try and do as many fun things as we can. We try to let them feel just as normal as possible.

'This is going to mean the world to all four of us.”

Daybreak Rotary started its duck race seven years ago, according to Rotary member and duck race chairman Rob Gettemy. During the event, members of the fire department use hoses to 'push” the ducks toward the finish line.

In total, the group has raised $485,000 to benefit organizations that serve disadvantaged youth.

This year's duck race raised $80,000, the biggest total yet. Money went to YouthPort, Jon Cushing Sunshine Fund, Big Brothers Big Sisters and Kids First Law Center.

'It was thrilling to see a winner that was so deserving and who really was going to use it to impact her own kids' lives,” Gettemy said.