Peter Chiswick hasn't missed a race in 12 years.

And not because he won two roundtrip tickets to the Neighbor Islands once.

The 53-year-old contractor from Kailua "adopts" a duck in the annual Great Hawaiian Rubber Duckie Race each year because he believes in the charity it supports — the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Hawai'i.

"I found out how much it's helped the keiki," said Chiswick, owner of Energy Unlimited, who names every duck he adopts Fred. "That's why I do it."

Over the past 18 years, the race, which takes place Saturday at the Ala Wai Canal, has raised nearly $750,000 for people with disabilities in Hawai'i.

A portion of the proceeds pays for the UCPA's Child Development Center, a birth-to-age-3 program that services nearly 30 children a year. It provides occupational, speech and physical therapy for the children, many of whom have cerebral palsy.

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella-like term used to describe a group of chronic disorders impairing control of movement that appear in the first few years of life and generally don't worsen over time, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The disorders are caused by faulty development of or damage to motor areas in the brain that disrupts the ability to control movement and posture.

Studies have shown that there are about 500,000 people nation-wide with some degree of cerebral palsy. Around 5,000 infants and toddlers and 1,500 preschoolers are diagnosed each year.

Symptoms include difficulty with fine motor tasks such as writing or using scissors, and difficulty maintaining balance or walking. Some people with cerebral palsy are also affected by other medical disorders including seizures or mental impairment.

Darla Casil, a 23-year-old mother from Waialua, knows firsthand how much the development center helps children with cerebral palsy.

Her daughter, Raian-Hailey Kamakahi, has been attending sessions there for more than a year.

Born at 30 weeks, Raian-Hailey suffered a brain hemorrhage, which can increase the risk of learning disorders later in life. The baby started showing developmental delays — not walking, not talking — that worried Casil.

In 2004, Casil went to a UCPA fundraiser at Windward City Shopping Center and learned more about cerebral palsy. She enrolled her daughter at the Child Development Center that September.

After more than a year in the program, Raian-Hailey can crawl, is more vocal and sociable, and is now starting to walk.

"Everybody sees the difference in her," Casil said. "I really didn't know anything about CP before. I've learned how this is going to affect her."

Part of the goal of the Great Hawaiian Rubber Duckie Race is to raise awareness about cerebral palsy, which has been on the rise lately, said Donna Fouts, executive director of UCPA of Hawai'i.

"It's so much more than just a fundraiser," Fouts said. "This is our window of opportunity to educate the public."

Many people don't fully understand what cerebral palsy is, Fouts said. She hopes fundraisers like these will debunk the myths and stereotypes about people with disabilities.

"Our thing is to provide quality of life," Fouts said. "Just because you need help doesn't make you less of a person ... It's about seeing what the person can do, not what they can't do. That's what we're about."

Fouts came up with the idea for a rubber-duck race in the Ala Wai 19 years ago. (Actually, she "borrowed" the idea from the Alberta Heart and Stroke Foundation — Fouts saw the organization's event on CNN.)

The race caught on with other UCPA affiliates, some of which hold their own versions of the fundraiser in their states.

For the first three years, UPCA of Hawai'i borrowed 20,000 racing ducks from the Canadian nonprofit before buying its own fleet.

Custom-made for racing, the ducks have weighted tails that keep them upright and are durable enough to withstand years of competition, even traveling to Neighbor Islands.

But last year, Fouts decided it was time the ducks retired. She ordered a new batch of 20,000 ducks — same design, same specifications — which cost $25,000.

The new ducks are a tad plumper and a little more suntanned than the previous generation, many of which will "retire" to Kaua'i to compete in the island's first race in October 2007. Another group may head to Maui, another to the Big Island. The remaining ducks will be auctioned on eBay, the proceeds going directly to UCPA's programs.

"If someone told me 19 years ago that I'd be talking about these ducks raising $750,000, I would've said, 'Get outta here!' " Fouts said. "I never would've imagined it would become our trademark."

Indeed, the ducks are everywhere at the UCPA offices.

Fouts has thousands of duck collectibles, from toothbrushes to suncatchers to paper-clip holders, in her office. Duck figurines fill nearly two bookshelves, wearing everything from sunglasses to cowboy hats to snorkel gear.

Even Fouts, who has headed the nonprofit for 19 years, was decked in ducks, wearing duck earrings, socks and a watch.

"I really take pride in this, and the office is a tribute to that," Fouts said. "It's amazing how different they are all. A duck is just a duck? No way."