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The third and most exciting season of Ambridge Turtle Racing Fest is approaching fast. This year opening date is May 17th followed by June 14th, july 12th and wrapping up with the Grand Championship on August 16th. All tickets sales open at 11:30 a.m, make sure to get in line early as the 1st few heats of the day sell out fast! Unlike some of our turtles… proceeded by the opening ceremonies at noon. Races continuously take place until 3:00-3:30 p.m.
No race is complete without proper festivities. Shellebrations include photo opportunities with the one and only Terri the Turr-iffic Turtle mascot at the RHH booth(Rycker’s Heart Heroes) inflatable obstacle course,turtle relay races, turtle pond, toss games and more! Also included is face painting, a family-fun activity center, plenty of food trucks, local vendors, Rycker’s Heart Heroes raffle baskets and the new and most exciting part of the season turtle-riffic ticket rewards and rewards table, 50/50 turtle merchandise,CHD patient Heroes and more. The mission of the Ambridge Turtle Racing event is to give back to the community and families with CHD (Congenital Heart Defects) and to give scholarships to high school senior volunteers as we celebrate the magic of turtles and the joy of community.
“It’s great to bring families from all over the tri-state area to be silly together,” said the Founder of 321 Creative Studios Jeffrey Desi Deceder. “The excitement in the air when the flashing light goes off and the crowd goes crazy is more than words can say.”
This year not only will Rycker’s Heart Heroes have their fundraising raffle basket booth but also a portion of this seasons profits will go directly to Rycker’s Heart Heroes non-profit 501c3 Foundation alongside RHH sponsoring 2-3 scholarships for a select high school volunteer!
Rycker’s Heart Heroes was founded in 2018 after Rycker (the son of Ambridge Turtle racing and 321 Creative Studios Designs for a Cause founders Bridget “Birdie” Rohm and Jeffrey “Desi” Deceder) after hsving complications of Open Heart Surgery. Nothing could keep little Rycker calm,comfortable and soothed and believe me they tried everything from vibrating blankets,breastfeeding,bouncy seats and more. As it was going on 3 days with little to no sleep for either Roo or parents a nurse brought in something called a MamaRoo, fitting as Rycker’s nickname was Roo. WIthin 10 minutes Roo was asleep finally comfortable and calm letting mom and dad get much needed rest.
Bridget looked online to see if she could buy one as the hospital had very few and had to share the Roo with other patients and rooms. She was left in shock afrer seeing an almost $300 price tag on the 4moms (Pittsburgh Company) Mamaroo! So instead she decided to post to Rycker’s Blog community which had grown world wide with followers and friends from Nepal,South Africa, Australia and all over. No sooner did she post asking to see if anyone had a gently used mamaroo she could buy for Roo to use in the hospita and when he got home did the notifications start ringing off the hook with dozens of people offering to either donate theirs or buy Roo a brand new one. The company 4moms even heard Rycker’s Story and they so graciously donated a brand new one to RYcker. However the blog community was dropping theirs off in UPMC CHildren’s Hospital. Thats when a light bulb went off in Bridget’s head. If this helped Rycker so much she could only imagine how it would help the other heart heroes and not to mention the fact that the hospital themselves only had a few. Thus the Rycker Roo Project began and within the first year a dozen were donated, brand new ones going to UPMC Children's Hospital Cardiac Units and gently or older models going directly to families after being discharged. on March 21st World Down Syndrome day they made their first ROO drop at Children’s hospital where it was announced that the project would be turning into a full fledged 501c3 Non-Profit called Rycker’s Heart Heroes. in the years since the RHH foundation has donated close to 30 brand new and gently used Mamaroos at $279 a piece, started the Heart Heroes family fund helping CHD families nationally and recently preparing for the Hearts of Hope care package program which is more parent based giving a positivity journal like 365 days of happiness, a gift card and more. It’s fundraiseres like the raffle booth at the Ambridge Turtle Racing festival and communities like our pittsburgh area and ambridge that help contribute support, fund, and raise awareness for our heart heroes. YOU are the HEROES to our HEARTHEROES!
The races get the whole family cheering for their team. It’s just like NASCAR racing…but a bit slower. Each of our turtles are professionally and humanely taken care of by our signature sponsor, Off the Hook Exotic Pet Shop, as they await race day.
And don't forget – you can bring your own turtle or tortoise to join the fun! Whether you have a seasoned racer or a newcomer to the track, all are welcome to participate in the festivities.
Ambridge Turtle Racing is hosted by The Ambridge Regional Chamber of Commerce and created by 321 Creative Studios.
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