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FOUR YOUTH VOLUNTEERS WILL RECEIVE SOAP BOX DERBY’S SERVICE AWARDS (1)

Four young volunteers of the Soap Box Derby program have been selected to receive the President’s Youth Volunteer Service Award, which recognizes volunteers under the age of 21 who have made a positive impact on the Soap Box Derby through their leadership on the local, regional or national level.

The 2020 recipients are Erin Donovan of Eagleville, Pennsylvania; Braedon Quinlan of Arlington, Massachusetts; Lukas Ramey of Hanson, Kentucky, and Samantha Uhler of Howard, Pennsylvania.

“These 2020 honorees are all long-time racers who have become dedicated volunteers in their home communities and have great passion for and commitment to the Soap Box Derby program,” said Mark Gerberich, president and chief executive officer of International Soap Box Derby.  “They all are giving back to the Soap Box Derby through their support in staging local races and in recruiting and mentoring other young boys and girls who participate in our youth racing program.”

● Donovan, 16, is a third-generation racer who has been competing in local Soap Box Derby events since 2011. She won the Local Stock division race in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, in 2012, making her first of eight trips to the FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box as a local or rally champion. She won the world championship twice—in the Rally Stock division in 2013 and in Rally Super Stock in 2019.  At local races and rallies, Erin mentors other racers to help familiarize them with various racing procedures and driving skills.  During the All-American finals in Akron, she volunteers in support of various events at the track. She will be a junior this fall at Methacton High School in Eagleville.

● Quinlan, 18, raced in all divisions of the Soap Box Derby—Stock, Super Stock, and Masters—over a 10 year-period beginning in 2009.  He won the Super Stock title in the Arlington Soap Box Derby in 2017, earning a berth in that year’s FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby.  He also raced in Akron in 2019 in the new Legacy division.  Quinlan has been a volunteer in the Arlington Derby program since he was 13, described by race officials as an “indispensable contributor” and “natural leader” who will volunteer in any way to support and promote the local Soap Box Derby program. He recently graduated from Arlington High School and will attend Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York this fall.

● Ramey, 16, first competed in 2012 in the Soap Box Derby in Madisonville, Kentucky, where he won the Stock division championship the following year.  He represented Madisonville at the 2013 All-American championships—the first of seven of consecutive years in Akron as a Local or Rally champion in all three racing divisions. In 2015, he won the world championship in the Rally Stock competition which brought media and community attention to the Madisonville racing program.  Since 2012, Ramey has helped promote interest in Soap Box Derby participation through presentations at local public events, riding in parades, displays at venues such as malls and museums and media interviews.  He also helps with set-up of track facilities and race day operations in Madisonville and other race cities.  Ramey will be a junior at Madisonville North Hopkins High School in the fall.

● Uhler, 18, has raced in Soap Box Derby competition for seven seasons, starting in the Masters division in Dubois, Pennsylvania in 2014. She subsequently competed in the local Dubois races and in various rallies, earning berths in the All-American Soap Box Derby as a rally champion in 2016, as Dubois local champion in the Masters division in 2017, local Super Stock champion in 2018 and a rally masters contestant in 2019.  As a member of the junior committee of the Dubois race organization, Samantha promotes interest in the Soap Box Derby through school projects, shares her knowledge of car construction and driving skills with younger racers, helps with track set-up and tear-down and worked to prepare faculty to teach Soap Box Derby technology as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum for elementary and middle school students.  She graduated this spring from Bald Eagle High School in Wingate, Pennsylvania.

Because the 83^rd FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby scheduled for July has been canceled due to COVID-19, the 2020 youth award winners will be honored online this year and recognized in-person as part of the 2021 race week activities.