Racing for charity, local Scouting program hosts sixth annual Corporate Pinewood Derby
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IDAHO FALLS — Get ready, get set, go!
The Grand Teton Council of Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America) is hosting its annual Corporate Pinewood Derby to raise funds for Scouting and to donate $1,000 to a local charity of the winner’s choosing.
The event will start on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Blue Cross Conference Center, located at the Mountain America Center, 1690 Event Drive. Companies and individuals can register up until the day of the event by calling (208) 522-5155.
This is the sixth year the Grand Teton Council has hosted the event, where local companies build wooden Pinewood Derby cars and race against each other and local youths.
All proceeds go back to the Scouting program, which Grand Teton Council District Director Elias Lopez told EastIdahoNews.com helps to fund their Explorer program.
Lopez said the program, Explorer Post 117, is currently partnered with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, which allows scouts to gain hands-on experience with deputies and learn about a career in law enforcement.
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Over the past five years, the derby has raised over $20,000 for the Scouting program.
“We wanted to rely on more of the corporate sponsorships, being that with The Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints, when they stopped their sponsorship of Scouting at the end of 2019, I knew that we had to go out of the box to raise funds to do more fun fundraising,” Lopez said.
The inspiration for the Pinewood Derby Race came when Lopez was in El Paso, Texas, and saw a car dealership holding a Pinewood Derby in its showroom.
Last year, the derby was held at Teton Toyota, and Lopez said that Gray Augustus, executive director of the Idaho Falls Art Council, helped them move to a bigger location before his move from the dealership.
“We’re just really grateful for Teton Toyota and Gray Augustus for helping us to move this to the next level,” Lopez said.
In the derby itself, adults will race with the youth, and the top three adults and kids will receive a commemorative trophy.
The grand prize is the $1,000 donation to any charity or nonprofit of the winner’s choosing.
“What a great win for some lucky nonprofit to get $1,000 award from some lucky business,” Lopez said.
In years past, Lopez said the donations have gone back to the community, including the Haven Family Shelter, part of the Idaho Falls Rescue Mission, and to the Idaho Falls Fire Department to help purchase defibrillators.
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Overall, the derby is a friendly competition among the racers, with the goal of supporting the Scouting program and a charity as the year comes to a close.
For Lopez, it’s a way for the community to learn that Scouting is still alive in eastern Idaho, despite the gap left by the LDS Church’s departure in 2019.
“We have a lot of room for growth, and we just want to continue to share this program with more families,” Lopez said.
To learn more about the Corporate Pinewood Derby, visit tetonscouts.org.