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Aug 03, 2023

Fifth Annual Cardboard Boat Race Fundraiser

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Cardboard Boat Race, F&CS, Family and Childrens Service

For the fifth year in a row, the annual CardboardBoat Race to support Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca will set sail on Cayuga Lake this September. The fundraising event, held by Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca, raises money to support mental healthcare and related social services for individuals and families in Tompkins County. This year, the race will take place on September 10 at the Ithaca Yacht Club.

Unlike many other fundraisers, the absurdity and spectacle are part of the big draw of the CardboardBoat Race. With participants challenged to build full-sized boats out of cardboard, duct tape, and glue (no foam or plastic allowed!), and then climb aboard their vessels to paddle around a floating racecourse in the harbor of the Ithaca Yacht Club, actually crossing the finish line is a secondary goal for many participants.

Last year, despite uncooperative fall weather and a steady drizzle, 30 boats took to the water, with competitors as young as eight and as old as sixty-eight, racing against one another as several hundred spectators watched from shore.

The creativity of the boats is always a highlight, with prizes awarded not just for the fastest boats in youth, high school, and adult categories, but also for the spectators’ favorite boat—and yes, even for ‘Most Spectacular Sinking.’

Past years’ boats have included a replica Titanic that intentionally split apart during the race, a horse-drawn chariot, a floating army tank, a classic VW bus, and even a giant shark mouth made to look like it was surging out of the water to eat the crew.

The CardboardBoat Race is Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca’s only fundraising event of the year. In 2022 the event raised $72,000, surpassing that year’s fundraising goal of $50,000, largely through sponsorship and spectator tickets. This year, the organization set a goal of $65,000 and is already three-quarters of the way there.

The money raised from the CardboardBoat Race goes towards maintaining programs at Family & Children’s Service, subsidizing the cost of operating a community mental health clinic, enabling the agency to provide sliding-scale fees for service based on client needs, and supporting programs like Open Doors for Runaway and Homeless Youth, KinECT, and other community outreach programs.

Although mental health care is often covered by insurance, many providers in private practice don’t accept insurance, leaving individuals to navigate complex insurance reimbursement on their own. The non-profit has a policy of accepting all insurance coverage, and works with clients who can’t afford out-of-pocket costs, or who have high-deductible insurance plans so that anyone who needs services can access them, regardless of financial status. Family & Children’s representatives also shared that even when insurance covers an appointment, it rarely covers the full cost of care—a financial burden the agency has to make up through fundraising efforts each year.

“We’re proud to be a community mental health care center, and we’re also proud to be known for providing high quality mental health care that’s affordable and accessible,” said Josiah Jacobus-Parker, the director of development at F&CS. “We have counselors who specialize in working with really young children and infants, as well as people who are at the opposite end of the life cycle. Everyone has mental health, and everyone faces mental health struggles at one point or another. We have over thirty counselors and social workers on staff who want to make sure no one is facing those challenges alone.”

The CardboardBoat Race organizers are adamant that the event is so much more than a race. It is an opportunity for community members to come together and cheer each other on, help combat the stigma that surrounds mental illness, and feel surrounded by people who want to stand up for mental health care.

For those that don’t want to get wet, the event has plenty to offer. All event tickets include free food and a drink from Luna Catering. Attendees get to vote for the ‘People’s Choice Best Boat’ award by dropping voting tokens into buckets near each boat, and this year there will be multiple items donated by local businesses raffled off at the event. Presiding over the whole spectacle are local-celebrities, Amy Dickinson and Geoff Dunn, who serve as emcee’s goading on the boatcrews and adding their legendary wit to the fun.

Boat registration is open to those aged 8 and above, until August 31st, and thanks to the event’s Admiral Sponsor, CFCU Community Credit Union, registration is free for everyone.

Registration: https://www.givegab.com/campaigns/cbr2023

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