Erich Mische chuckles a little when you ask him how his pontoon boat trip down the Mississippi River is going. “It has been the adventure of a lifetime, not always the adventure I expected, but the adventure of a lifetime,” he said.

Erich Mische isn’t used to being on the water. He has his makeshift boat — a garden shed from Home Depot built on top of a 52-year-old pontoon frame — tied up to the dock for the river ferry just outside of Hickman, Kentucky, next to the Mississippi River. 

Sharing a message of hope: That's why the executive director of the nonprofit Spare Key is drifting down the Mississippi River.

Erich Mische is raising money for Spare Key — a “helping hand” not-for-profit — by floating down the Mississippi River in a 1,700-mile, two-month, 10-state journey from his home in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

At the end of 2019, Kentucky welcomed the non-profit, Spare Key, as a registered organization to provide commonwealth families with the financial support they need to pay major bills when faced with critical illnesses or serious injuries. 

Listen in to the 93.9 podcast while they catch up with Executive Director, Erich Mische, in Cape Girardeau.

Nonprofit leader floats "Hope on the River" down Mississippi River

A Minnesota man traveling the Mississippi River for a good cause made a stop in Cape Girardeau Sunday night, marking about halfway of his 1,700 mile trip from St. Paul to Baton Rouge on a homemade raft, risking it all for a charity called Spare Key.

At the end of 2019, Kentucky welcomed the non-profit Spare Key as a registered organization to provide commonwealth families with the financial support they need to pay major bills when faced with critical illnesses or serious injuries.

 The economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic forced a landlubber onto the mighty Mississippi in a makeshift raft that takes on water.

Erich Mische docked his homemade raft at Pettibone Boat Club as he travels down the Mississippi River on a 1,700-mile journey to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

CEO of non-profit goes Huck Finn-style down Mississippi for fundraiser. While vacation time is ending for lots of folks in the Midwest, one Minnesota man has just begun a voyage down the Mississippi to save his company. 

Hope on the River raft gets repairs, upgrades in Red Wing. Mische expects to spend two months floating from St. Paul to Louisiana.

Erich Mische, the Executive Director of Spare Key is floating down the Mississippi to Louisiana on a boat he built himself! He talked with Steve and Elizabeth about his trip!

Today marks 2 days until Erich Mische, Executive Director of Spare Key, begins his journey down the Mississippi River. He knows that his charity, like that of thousands of others, is facing a dire future because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the help and support of some river veterans, the executive director of a Twin Cities nonprofit that helps families facing medical crises hopes to raise money by floating down the length of the Mississippi River beginning August 27.

Minnesota-based non-profit Spare Key helps families across the U.S., including in Iowa, that is facing a financial loss due to a medical crisis. But during the COVID-19 pandemic, CEO Erich Mische said the funding has dropped significantly. 

Minnesota nonprofits facing declining revenue look for new ways to boost donations amid 'Zoom fatigue'. Erich Mische hopes his boat will float as he drifts 1,700 miles down the Mississippi River in a bid for money to keep his St. Paul nonprofit from sinking.

Spare Key executive director Erich Mische will do whatever it takes to ensure his St. Paul-based nonprofit survives the economic strains of the coronavirus pandemic — even if that means boarding an 8-by-12-foot raft built on a 50-year-old pontoon for a solo two-month, 1,700-mile fundraising journey down the Mississippi River.

Man to float down Mississippi for his charity. Erich Mische, who heads the Spare Key charity, is preparing to float down the Mississippi in the SS Hail Mary. Photographer Matt Passolt captured Erich's float test.