LOWELLVILLE — Ducks raced down the Mahoning River this weekend — albeit tiny, neon-yellow, and entirely rubber ones. In tandem with this year’s Lowellville Day, the village hosted a duck race fundraiser for the Will McCaughtry Foundation.

“We had (a duck race) here before and wanted to bring it back,” said Terri McCaughtry, who created the foundation in honor of her late son.

The organization aims to break the stigma surrounding mental health, especially for young people, reminding them that they aren’t alone and encouraging them to reach out for help. It provides both music and general therapy to students in Lowellville schools, but plans to expand to other districts in the area with the fundraiser’s proceeds.

So far, they’ve been cautiously optimistic with their fundraising approach.

“We were talking about it beforehand, asking, ‘Do you think we could sell 500 ducks?'” said Angel Laudermilt, a friend of Terri’s since kindergarten. “So far we’ve sold over 1,600.”

The event kicked off with a parade through the village, featuring a decorated golf cart contest, before transforming Water Street into a vibrant fair that was only slightly hampered by the sudden onslaught of inclement weather. Offered was a wide range of vendors — from woodcraft artisans to kayak tours, live music, food trucks, a veterans ceremony and the honoring of Lowellville’s Citizen of the Year, Bill Flora.

To add to fundraising efforts, they also sold basket raffle tickets.

“I’m very grateful for the community … I didn’t have to ask for very much — a lot of people just donated stuff,” McCaughtry said.

However, the event was more than just a race or a fundraiser — it was also a celebration of Will’s life and the fulfillment of a dream of his. The 20-year-old Lowellville native, who died in 2023, was an outgoing person and a friend to everyone around him, but he still struggled in his own right with both his mental and physical health.

Silas Miller, 15, attending his first Lowellville Day to browse art and walk his dog, remembered Will’s good nature when he worked as a cashier at Ross’s Market.

“I’d go in … and he’d listen to me discuss my art,” Silas said, noting it was a simple act of kindness that truly reflected Will’s legacy.

Although in his honor, the foundation has its origins in Will himself. He already had wanted to start something like this before his death, specifically after a public suicide at Lowellville Schools.

“We were standing on the football field waiting for students to be released when he turned and said to me, ‘we have to do something,” McCaughtryi recalled.

Now, thanks to the hard work of his family and friends, those dreams have finally come to fruition.