Achieva Credit Union will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its annual Box Car Rally on Saturday, Oct. 5 in downtown Clearwater. For the past decade, box car racers have joined together to zoom down one of the only hills in Pinellas County to benefit local schools.
Founded by teachers, Achieva gives proceeds from community events like the Box Car Rally to Pinellas County schools in the form of classroom grants. As an example, Seminole High School used a grant several years ago to start its “Wake-Up Warhawks Coffee Cart” – a concept in which students serve coffee to teachers and peers, while learning things like budgeting, managing inventory and customer service skills in the process.
Last year’s Box Car Rally attracted more than 2,500 spectators to watch the event at the corner of Cleveland Street and Osceola Avenue, raising $25,000 for Pinellas County schools.
“The Box Car Rally is a perfect example of the strong partnership we have with the communities we serve,” said David Oak, Achieva’s chief marketing officer. “Working together, we’ve raised $415,000 for local schools since 2010, thanks to our community events, which shows how much our neighbors care about improving public education.”
The Box Car Rally stems from an unusual idea, Oak said. In 2010, Achieva CEO Gary Regoli challenged the staff to create a signature event to raise money for local schools. Turns out, an Achieva team member had just watched “The Little Rascals” and found inspiration in the movie’s soapbox car rally.
This year’s free event will be held Saturday, Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thousands of spectators will watch nearly 300 races with box cars made out of everything from surfboards to filing cabinets, as well as sleek All-American Soap Box Derby style cars. Beyond the race track, the event has even more fun for the whole family to enjoy including food trucks and a Kids Zone with balloon artists and face painting.
To register, become a sponsor or learn more about the Box Car Rally, visit the event website: https://www.achievacu.com/Events/BoxCarRally