Press Releases


Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers, Inc. 6th Annual Rubber Ducky Regatta Brings Community Together for Fun and Fundraising

Providence Holy Cross Is Grand Duck Sponsor; L.A. Supervisor Michael Antonovich Will Serve as Honorary Chair of the Event

Santa Clarita, Calif., July 1, 2008 – Samuel Dixon Family Health Centers, Inc. (SDFHC) is delighted to announce the 6th Annual Rubber Ducky Regatta, set for Saturday, October 18 at Castaic Lake. The fun-filled event will include a family festival culminating in a rubber duck race at 1 p.m. for a chance to win prizes.

SDFHC thanks Grand Duck Sponsor, Providence Holy Cross. SDFHC also thanks Lucky Duck Sponsor Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital, Derby Duck Sponsor Kaiser Permanente and Papa Duck Sponsor Ed Bolden of Andel Engineering.

“Providence Holy Cross is proud to affiliate with such an important grassroots organization that mirrors our mission of care for the uninsured in the Santa Clarita Valley,” said Sister Colleen Settles, director, Mission Leadership, Providence Health & Services California Region. “It is our responsibility to work in partnership with SDFHC and we have chosen to sponsor this event because of the incredible need for services which SDFHC provides and the quality of the care that is provided.”

Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich will serve as honorary chair of the event.

“I am proud to once again serve as honorary chair of the Annual Rubber Ducky Regatta, benefiting SDFHC, at Castaic Lake,” Antonovich said. “For over 20 years, SDFHC has provided vital health services including primary medical services, immunizations, pediatrics, women's health, school physicals, family planning, laboratory services and referrals to low-income residents in the Santa Clarita Valley.”

Cheryl Laymon, SDFHC executive director, said the Rubber Ducky Regatta is the non-profit organization's premiere fundraising event of the year. “We are very grateful to all of the sponsors and media partners who have already committed to this year's event,” she said. “Last year's event was very successful, and our goal this year is to raise even more funds that will allow us to continue to provide health care services to anyone in need through our community health centers and outreach programs.”

Media partners for this event are: The Magazine of Santa Clarita, Elite Magazine, The Signal, Santa Clarita Living Magazine, L.A. Daily News, KHTS AM 1220, SCVTV, 661 Magazine and Smart Shopper, and Inside SCV Magazine.

Additional sponsorships are still available. For more information, call (661) 257-7892.

Rubber ducks are available for adoption at $5 per duck. 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 after July 4 for more information on duck adoptions.

All proceeds from the event will 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. Last year’s Rubber Ducky Regatta raised $65,000 for patient care.
The event is scheduled to take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call (661) 257-2339, ext. 302 or visit www.sdfhc.org.

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 8,000 patient visits.


SDFHC was established in 1980 and named for long-time Val Verde resident and minister, the late Reverend Samuel Dixon. A not-for-profit community health center, SDFHC serves the greater Santa Clarita Valley, and is governed by a twenty-member 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. 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).

SDFHC receives United Way funding and is supported by countless individuals as well as corporate sponsors who help make affordable health care possible. Tax-deductible contributions are welcome.