Four members of the MSU Crew Club hacked, dug and pulled away weeds in an overgrown part of East Lansing resident Linda Shankland’s backyard Sunday afternoon to raise money for their team.
The club’s annual Rent-a-Rower fundraiser allows people to hire members to do any kind of manual labor they please. The rowers charge $10 an hour for their services, and patrons must rent at least two rowers per job for at least four hours.
“This money will go to a good cause,” Shankland said. “I don’t like to hire companies. I’m real big into the mom and pop thing.”
“We’ll pretty much do any manual labor they ask,” journalism senior Pat Lyons said, fundraising chair for the MSU Crew Club. “Most of the jobs end up being raking leaves, moving stuff out of garages and stuff.”
The club does not have an exact fundraising goal, but typically the tasks net about $80 minimum, which goes to pay for travel and other club expenses, he said. Rowers can be rented through the end of the academic year, Lyons said.
Although the club puts few limitations on what kinds of tasks they will do, they haven’t had any out of the ordinary requests in the fundraiser’s three-year history, Lyons said.
“I know some people that had been brought out to wash classic cars like convertibles and old Mustangs — that was a pretty cool job,” he said.
Shankland decided to hire the rowers for the second time after having them over to wash her windows last year, she said.
With her son no longer living with her, the need for help with some physical labor has become important, and Shankland said she has been impressed with the quality of work the crew has done each time.
“I give them the tough work, and I do the easy stuff,” she said. “(The backyard is) overgrown with weeds, and it’s more than I could possibly take care of, and, my lord, they’re making mincemeat out of it in 20 seconds.”
Marketing freshman Theodore Mayer said he doesn’t mind being hired labor because the money is benefitting him and the rest of the club.
“It’s not bad. For one, it’s helping out the community and people that need help,” Mayer said. “Number two, all the money that we raise goes to the rowing (club), which helps pay for all the equipment, so really in my eyes it’s a good cause.”
As challenging as clearing out Shankland’s backyard might have been, it didn’t compare to how difficult rowing practice is, he said.
“It’s not that bad (working here). I’ve worked harder,” Mayer said.
“(Rowing practice), that’s pretty tough sometimes, rowing in the cold and rain — Michigan weather.”
To reserve a rower, visit msucrewclub.com.
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