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Giant duck proves to be valuable community engagement tool for Rosewood Village
Surprise visit from inflatable duck delights residents, staff and community alike
7/7/2025
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Deron Hamel
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When an ambulance pulled up to the front of Rosewood Village on June 20, staff members were confused – no one had called for an ambulance, and they weren't expecting paramedics to be coming by that day.
But then it clicked – the paramedics just wanted to see the 30-foot-tall inflatable yellow duck that stood in front of the Sarnia seniors living community.
“I went out there and the (ambulance crew) were standing there, so I asked them if everything was OK, and they said, 'yes, we just wanted to stop by and see the duck out here,' ” Susan Maw, Rosewood Village's executive director, tells S&R Today.
The ambulance crew asked Susan to take some photos of them, which she did, and they stayed a few minutes for a chat – exactly the type of response Susan says she and the Rosewood team were hoping to get from the duck.
The inflatable duck was only at the Village for one day, but its presence proved to be a valuable community engagement tool, Susan says.
So, how did a large inflatable duck end up at Rosewood Village?
Its journey began when Susan learned about duck, which was in front of a business on Blackwell Rd. in Sarnia. She got the idea to take the residents on an outing to see the duck and have photos taken.
Upon hearing Susan's idea, one of the Village's nurses mentioned that the people who owned the duck were neighbours with her friends and might be willing to lend it to Rosewood for a day. Susan called them, and the owners were happy to lend the home their duck, she says.
The duck was brought to the Village, and it became an immediate hit with everyone at Rosewood, as well as with people in the neighbourhood.
Susan says the residents were laughing all day and calling their friends, who then came by, with many taking photos. People were driving by, honking their horns, and stopping to pose with the duck, she adds.
This pattern continued throughout the day, with cars pulling into the Village's parking lot and people hopping out to have their photo taken with the duck.
Susan says the main reason for bringing the duck to Rosewood Village was to engage the community – and that's exactly what happened.
“I just wanted it to be a fun thing to do on the first day of summer and spread joy in the community,” she says. “It was a great conversation piece.”
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