The United Way of Southwest Michigan has raised $31,000 to support its programs through the latest Rock the Boat Cardboard Boat Races, held last week in Benton Harbor.
25 teams raced their carboard boats in the St. Joseph River to not only raise funds for the United Way, but also for glory.
The United Way’s Dawn Howley tells us with the event held this year for the first time since 2019, the teams had plenty of time to engineer their craft. That meant fewer sinkings than in some past years.
“We had so many well-built boats,” Howley said. “The people have got this down now, and it was phenomenal to see the creativity, know the people that were looking for something elaborate. And you could tell the boats that were built for speed that they were going to go for it all the way. It was just absolutely phenomenal.”
One noteworthy racer who still managed to sink, despite years to prepare, was WIRX morning host Brock Havens, who Howley says built a boat intended to resemble a rock. She hopes he does better next year.
Speaking of which, the United Way has already announced the cardboard boat races will be back in 2025. Interested teams can start planning their designs now. We’ll let you know when they start offering registrations.
The winner last week was Whirlpool, which took home the Championship Award and the Fastest Boat Award. Also winning awards were Lake Michigan College and Honor Credit Union.
