United Way of Southwest Michigan’s “Rock The Boat” Raises More Than $31,000

The “Cottura Vortice” team boat from Whirlpool Corporation glides quickly through the water during the Rock the Boat cardboard boat races on Thursday, July 11 at the Inn at Harbor Shores in St. Joseph. Cottura Vortice won the Championship heat against 8 other boats, as well as the Fastest Boat award.

ST. JOSEPH, MI – The weather was perfect for the return of the Rock The Boat Cardboard Boat Races, which took place Thursday, July 11, 2024 at the Inn at Harbor Shores in St. Joseph with 25 boats participating. The event had a fundraising total of over $31,000 including sponsorships & crowd-funded donations from participants and spectators, which exceeded the event goal of $25,000.

“Leading up to the return of this event, people were pretty excited. But ‘excited’ was an understatement when we actually got to the day of the event and saw some incredible camaraderie and competition between the participants, and the happy, smiling faces of our spectators,” stated Zack East, Senior Director of Organizational Sustainability at United Way of Southwest Michigan. “To say the event was a success is an understatement! Our UWSM team, partners, and volunteers did a tremendous job making this day huge.”

The event featured life-size boats made entirely of cardboard raced in heats in the river channel. Spectators lined the Inn at Harbor Shores’ channel shoreline to enjoy the event, and hundreds enjoyed the livestream on the United Way of Southwest Michigan YouTube channel.

Anna Murphy, President & CEO of United Way of Southwest Michigan, helped hand out the awards to the participants at the end of the event and told the crowd the event will definitely return next year. “We just didn’t know what to expect for participation, spectators, and sponsorships given that this event hadn’t taken place since 2019. People told us during the festivities they are so glad the event came back and that they look forward to creating their own boats in the future after seeing how much fun the participants had on the water.”

The Championship award, as well as fastest boat award, went to Whirlpool Corporation’s “Cottura Vortice,” a crowd-favorite boat that looked like a long, sleek kayak engineered to move quickly through the water. Awards also went to Lake Michigan College for the Most Creative boat for their “Rocky Pearl - ‘Seas’ the Degree” entry, and Honor Credit Union for both the People’s Choice and Captain’s Bounty awards with a total of $2,304 raised by 57 different donors for their “A Thousand Pickle” team boat.

Rock the Boat was produced by a presenting partnership between United Way of Southwest Michigan, TPC Productions, and Little Red Fern Productions. The event was emceed by Our Lady of the Lake Athletic Director & WSJM Sports’ Phil McDonald.

Sponsors that made this year’s event a big success include: Mid-West Family Southwest Michigan, JV Studios, Honor Credit Union, Silver Beach Pizza, North Pier Brewing Company, BOSS Services, Curi RMB Capital, Holtec International, Lake Michigan College, and Ravitron, with support from Pepsi, United Container Company, the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber, Migala Rug & Tile, One Fine Day, Brian’s Marina, the Inn at Harbor Shores, and Competitive Edge. Food trucks included The Brick House, Ben’s Pretzels, and KT’s Rasoi.

Rock the Boat began as a United Way of Southwest Michigan campaign fundraiser by the Whirlpool Corporation in 2016, with United Way outright taking over the event in 2024 based on the very successful template of the past by Whirlpool’s employee teams.

United Way of Southwest Michigan looks forward to holding this event again in 2025 so we can continue to benefit & impact great programs in Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties. Watch the UWSM social media channels on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram for the 2025 date, coming soon!

About United Way of Southwest Michigan
United Way of Southwest Michigan works to sustain a united community where everyone contributes, belongs and thrives. We harness resources from corporate, nonprofit, and public partners to address our community's most pressing challenges and make lasting change. Join us in giving, advocacy, and volunteering by visiting www.uwsm.org.