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10 | <strong>01907</strong><br />
CHEERIO, continued from page 8<br />
This year, Thibeault was fired from his job at<br />
Bass Point after new owners came in. He said<br />
the rug was pulled out from under him, and<br />
while he said he was concerned for himself and<br />
his wife, his main priority was to keep Cheerio<br />
in Nahant — the only home the duck has ever<br />
known.<br />
“People get fired every day, but not everyone<br />
has a duck… If I just had to worry about myself,<br />
and of course, my wife, that's easy enough.<br />
But I worry about him. What's the next job<br />
going to be? Am I gonna be like, ‘Hey, do you<br />
mind if I bring my famous duck with me a<br />
couple of days a week?’ ” Thibeault said. “For the<br />
last six and a half years, that’s been his place.”<br />
When Thibeault started a GoFundMe account<br />
hoping to raise enough money to pay his<br />
bills and stay in Nahant for Cheerio, the community<br />
came through for him and the duck. 87<br />
donors collectively contributed $3,610 to help<br />
Thibeault get back on his feet.<br />
“This will be a big change for myself and<br />
Cheerio and my first priority is to make sure I<br />
can stay in Nahant for Cheerio while we figure<br />
out what this new chapter of our life will bring.<br />
We need to stay in our apartment, the only<br />
home he knows except for my old work place.<br />
This is very important to me so he has access to<br />
the beautiful beaches and the ocean he loves so<br />
much,” Thibeault wrote in his GoFundMe.<br />
Thibeault said he was grateful for all the support<br />
that’s come his way. Between the GoFund-<br />
Me, and some of his savings from 21 years at<br />
Bass Point, he said he can continue to stay in<br />
Nahant while he searches for work.<br />
In the meantime, Cheerio still enjoys<br />
regular trips to the beach, rides on the front<br />
console of Thibeault’s car, and making new<br />
friends around town.<br />
“Everybody loves him. Especially in Nahant,<br />
there's not many people that don't know about<br />
Cheerio,” Thibeault said. “At a red light, when<br />
you have a duck sitting in between the passenger<br />
seat and the driver's seat and someone<br />
looks over at you, they see a duck just sitting<br />
there. The look on their faces is so priceless<br />
… Every time I leave the house with him, he<br />
starts a conversation. I just love him and I<br />
wouldn’t change a thing.”<br />
“<br />
Everybody loves<br />
him. Especially<br />
in Nahant, there's<br />
not many people<br />
that don't know<br />
about Cheerio.<br />
— Caregiver Steven Thibeault
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