SOAP BOX DERBY ANNOUNCES 2025 YOUTH SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENTS

AKRON, Ohio (June 5, 2025) – The International Soap Box Derby recently announced the recipients of the 2025 Youth Volunteer Service Award – Keegan Altomare of Stow, Ohio; Alana Durica of Culpeper, Va.; and Jacob Hamm of Des Moines, Iowa. The award recognizes volunteers under the age of 21 who have made a positive impact on the organization through their leadership on the local, regional and national levels.

Read more about the award and how to nominate someone

“All three of our 2025 award recipients are long-time Soap Box Derby competitors who are giving back to the racing program through their support in promoting and staging local races and by mentoring younger participants who are new to racing,” said Scott Taylor, president and chief executive officer of International Soap Box Derby, Inc.

The President’s Youth Volunteer Service Awards will be presented during festivities at the 87^th FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby World Championships in Akron on Sat., July 19.

The 2025 honorees are:

KEEGAN ALTOMARE, Stow, Ohio

Keegan Altomare, 13, participated in his grade school’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Soap Box Derby program in 2021 and began racing in the Akron local Soap Box Derby and in rallies the following year in the Super Stock division. He competed as a Rally Super Stock champion in the 2024 FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby and will return in July as a Masters qualifier.

Altomare volunteers at both the Akron and Portage County local races to help set up and tear down the tracks, as well as serving as a co-pilot in the SuperKids races for children with special needs. He encourages other kids to participate in Soap Box Derby racing and mentors fellow racers on changing out brake pads and driving techniques. He helped establish a nonprofit organization called “Gravity Kids” to support Derby families to acquire and transport race cars to various Soap Box Derby events.

He will be in 8^th grade this fall at Holy Family School in Stow, where he serves on student council and received the 2025 Catholic Teachers Award and the Stolion Student Award from the Stow-Munroe Falls Lions Club. He also is active in Boy Scouts and in the school’s Drama Club.

ALANA DURICA, Culpeper, Virginia

Alana Durica, 19, first raced in the Piedmont Area Soap Box Derby in Culpeper in 2016.  She won the local Stock division championship the following year and made her first trip to the FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron. She raced in the Super Stock division from 2018 through 2023, finishing second in the local race four times. In 2024, she moved to the Masters division, where she qualified as a Rally champion then won the local Masters division title. She placed third in the Local Masters division of the 2024 World Championships in Akron.

Durica has been on the Piedmont organization’s junior committee since 2013 and is an active promoter of Soap Box Derby participation at school programs, construction clinics and other community events. She mentors young racers and volunteers at race events in set-up and teardown, parts and merchandise sales, and registration. She has made presentations to the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors to secure funding for the local Soap Box Derby activities. Durica received the Piedmont organization’s sportsmanship and college scholarship awards for her dedication to the Soap Box Derby. She was active in Girl Scouts for eight years and earned her Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards.

Durica is a 2023 graduate of Eastern View High School in Culpeper and will be a junior this fall at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va, where she is studying business.

JACOB HAMM, Des Moines, Iowa

Jacob Hamm, 17, began racing in the Des Moines Soap Box Derby in late 2018, and has competed in Stock and Masters divisions in Local and Rally races. He has earned berths four times in the FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby World Championships in the Masters Rally division. He will be competing in the Rally Masters World Championships and Legacy races in July.

Hamm became a member of the Des Moines race organization’s junior committee in 2024. He mentors younger racers and families, helps with race preparation and car repairs and uses his technology knowledge to build and program timer systems for Soap Box Derby races in Des Moines, as well as in Omaha and Ogallala, Nebraska, and Kansas City, Missouri. He is a co-pilot in the SuperKids races for children with special needs. He also is active in Boy Scouts and is quartermaster responsible for supplies and gear for his troop.  He built a new storage container unit for cars and equipment at the Des Moines Soap Box Derby track facility as his project for meeting his Eagle Scout requirements.

Hamm will be a junior this fall at North Polk High School in Alleman, Iowa.

About the International  Soap Box Derby

The International Soap Box Derby® is a non-profit youth education and leadership development organization whose mission is to build knowledge and character, and to create meaningful experiences through fair and honest racing competitions, STEM curriculums, and other community-focused activities. The Derby’s Core Values and Drivers include Youth Education and Leadership Development; Family Engagement and Enrichment; Honesty, Integrity, and Perseverance; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Teamwork and Collaboration; Mentoring; Volunteerism; and Commitment to Community. The Derby’s two youth initiatives are the FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby racing program and the STEM-based Education Program, which provides educational opportunities for K-12 youth worldwide through Soap Box Derby racing. The Derby dates back to 1934, when the first All-American race was held in Dayton, Ohio. For more information, visit www.soapboxderby.org

CONTACTS:

Bob Troyer, Public Relations Chair
International Soap Box Derby
bob@soapboxderby.org

(312) 543-6703

or

Jeff Phillips, Marketing & Communications Manager

International Soap Box Derby

jeff@soapboxderby.org

(740) 412-3408