Thunder Bay annual soapbox races raise money, teach 'life lessons'

A number of young racers took to the streets in Thunder Bay, Ont. over the weekend to show off their skills behind the wheel as part of a popular annual fundraiser in the northwestern Ontario city.

The 14th annual George Jeffrey Children's Centre soapbox races saw children in home-built or assembled cars race down the large hill on Waverley Street. For many of the kids, it's a thrill that's too fun to pass up.

"They're daredevils, they're a lot less nervous than I am," Juliet Elliott told CBC News. "You would think the little ones, they'd be the nervous ones, not wanting to go down the hill but they're the ones that are encouraging me to go down the hill."

Elliott, 14, is a veteran racer at the competition, having won several times. Now, she volunteers by helping the younger kids, steering some of the vehicles down the hill.

"For me, it's all about the driving, so ... it's keeping the car straight," she said, adding that the easiest way to do that is to focus on a point at the bottom of the hill.

Success on the track appears to run in the family. Elliott's brother Jackson was crowned king of the hill for 2017.

'Someone's got your back'

George Jeffrey works with families that have children with mental and developmental disabilities and provides services like speech language therapy, physiotherapy and specialized pediatric care. The soapbox races raise money to help with the centre's programming.

The fundraiser typically raises about $30,000 per year, according to organizers.

"The centre does so much more than just help the kids," said Andy Wilson. His son, who is now six, suffered a stroke at birth and requires a number of services offered by the George Jeffrey centre.

"[It gives] us a little bit of security and you feel like 'hey, someone's got your back,'" he continued. "When you're going through this sort of thing when you have a kid with disabilities, sometimes you feel like you're in it alone and you're not."

Wilson's son was also racing on the weekend, strapped into a car being driven by Juliet Elliott.

"You can't say no to Juliet, she's won this event so many times. It's kind of a ringer driver and [it's] great to have her," Wilson said, laughing. 

Wilson said the time spent with his son preparing their car for the race has also been meaningful. 

"We've spent the last two weeks in the garage working on the car. He got to learn about tools. He got to learn about his car. He got to put it together. So, I mean, those are life lessons." 

Click here to listen to CBC Superior Morning associate producer Amy Hadley's piece on the 2017 soapbox races in Thunder Bay.