United Way of Southwest Michigan’s ROCK THE BOAT Presented by Honor Credit Raises Over $45,000

ROCK THE BOAT returned to the Inn at Harbor Shores for another year of racing for a great cause. The event happened Thursday, July 17 featuring 19 boats from various area organizations and businesses that helped bolster a fundraising total of over $45,500, including sponsorships & crowd-funded donations from participants and spectators, resulting in a 46% increase over last year’s event.

Life-sized boats made entirely of cardboard and duct tape raced in 7 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 & Facebook channels.

The fastest boat winner went to Whirlpool Corporation’s “Knead for Speed,” with the most Creative trophy awarded to Gast Manufacturing’s “Tipsy,” which did, in fact, topple over in the water before even making it to the starting line. The Captain’s Bounty award for the most dollars raised went to Curi RMB Capital St. Joseph with $2,383 raised, while team “Dewey, Sinkem, and Howe” with their boat “Miss Creant” walked away with the trophy for People’s Choice, collecting 43 donors that contributed to their team fundraising campaign total of $1,671.

All dollars raised by boat registrations, sponsors, and people’s choice votes will stay here in the community to benefit programs and impact partners of United Way of Southwest Michigan, which serves Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren counties. This was also the biggest year of sponsorship for Rock the Boat, thanks to gifts from organizations like Honor Credit Union.

Teams participating this year included Ausra Kabota, Holtec Palisades, Honor Credit Union, The Herald-Palladium, four teams from Whirlpool Corporation, Lake Michigan College, Logan Autism Center, Team Dewey, Sinkum & Howe, two teams from Gast Manufacturing, Insurance Management Service, Region IV Area Agency On Aging, Kinexus Group, Curi RMB Capital, Walsworth, and Cook Nuclear Plant.

Rock the Boat was produced by the United Way of Southwest Michigan staff, with planning and execution assistance from Gravity Productions, JV Studios, and 99.9 Y Country. The event was emceed by Our Lady of the Lake Athletic Director & WSJM Sports’ Phil McDonald.

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

The event was patrolled on land and in the water by members of the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department, with assistance from the US Coast Guard St. Joseph Station and St. Joseph Department of Public Safety. The Inn at Harbor Shores donates space for the event to take place, and Brian’s Marina loans safety and boating equipment for the race. Whirlpool’s Advanced Development & Innovation Team provided a new addition to the safety process this year by building a boat return ramp utilizing donated parts and supplies courtesy of Big C Lumber and Godfrey Pontoon Boats. In-kind donations were also given from The Herald-Palladium, Lakeshore Public Schools, and MailMax.

Food trucks participating at the event included Benton Harbor’s “The Brick House” and “Ben’s Pretzels,” as well as Lost Coast Shave Ice, and KT’s Rasoi. The Inn at Harbor Shores also served drinks for the event. All food vendors committed to donate a portion of their sales to United Way of Southwest Michigan.

The event is presented by Honor Credit Union, with major support from Silver Beach Pizza, Gast Manufacturing, Michigan Works! Berrien, Cass, Van Buren, Whirlpool Corporation, BluCat Consulting, 99.9 Y Country, and JV Studios. Supporting sponsors include the Inn at Harbor Shores, the Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber, Lake Michigan College, and Curi RMB Capital, with additional thanks to United Container Company, Competitive Edge, Brian’s Marina, Pepsi, Gravity Productions, Feeding America West Michigan, Big C Lumber, and Godfrey Pontoon Boats.

2026 event registration will open in early Spring for boaters to begin planning their craft designs. Watch RockTheBoatForUnitedWay.com and sign up for alerts.