In May of 2017, Merki Community Uplift and Safe Alternative Foundation for Education, Inc. organized the inaugural Flags Up Raceway Soap Box Derby. The program focused on introducing youth to engineering through building soap box cars for racing, culminating with a day of fun for the community. For weeks leading up to the race, six teams of children from across the city, aged 4 through 12, were hard at work designing and assembling their own soap box cars. The instructors at The Foundery worked directly with the two teams from South Baltimore, the South Baltimore Lions and the Speed Tigers, offering a central location and hands-on training to complete the racecars. Sagamore Development Company was among the many sponsors, which also included Schuster Concrete, the Baltimore City Police Department, Staples, and others. On race day, teams representing East, West and South Baltimore showcased their hard work by unveiling their cars, and racing down Eden Street in East Baltimore. The event was a fun-filled day for the entire family, including a Corvette car show, moon bounce, food, games and music. Congratulations to team Safe Alternates from West Baltimore who took home first place! Check out this video for more from race day.
