As truck goes down, funds go up

According to Web site calculators, a 2001 Chevrolet Suburban in good condition with low mileage is worth about US$14,000. To the Kiwanis Club of Janesville/Blackhawk Golden K, Wisconsin, a Suburban submerged beneath thawing ice is worth about $15,000.

That’s how much the club collects each year in its “Truck on Ice” fundraiser. After expenses, the club nets about $11,000. Plus, the sinking of a seemingly brand-new SUV also generates a great deal of publicity for the club.

Here’s how the fundraising icebreaker works:

An area General Motors assembly plant accumulates parts that have been dented or otherwise cannot be put on their new vehicles. The plant donated discarded Suburban pieces to the club to be pieced together onto a 1992 GM truck frame. A car dealer donated a paint job so the Suburban looks almost showroom-ready.

“We sink the truck in a lagoon; so, we work with the (United States) Department of Natural Resources,” says Blackhawk Golden K’er Pete Kealey. “We can’t have any oil in the differential or glass in the windows.”

On December 1, as winter brings its freezing temperatures into Janesville, the Kiwanis club parks the Suburban in parking lots throughout the city. A sign asks, “When will it sink?”

“Because it looks like a shiny new vehicle, businesses don’t mind having it on their lots,” Pete says.”

The club sells tickets, which allow buyers to guess the day, hour, and minute the truck will sink through the lagoon ice and stop an onboard clock. The chances are sold for $5 each, three for $10, or eight for $20. Stubs provide a few clues, such as the sinking dates and times from previous years. The club also publishes detailed rules that cover various possibilities such as ties and premature sinkings (before ticket sales end on February 15).

On January 15, the truck is towed onto the ice, and the town waits.

“When it starts sinking, the radio station reports on its progress, and crowds show up at the lagoon,” Pete says.

At 10:01 a.m. Monday, March 7, 2005, the Suburban sank and its clock stopped, making Chuck Hegg the $3,000 grand prizewinner. Ten runners-up received $100 each.