LIMA — Riley Iiames has been competing in Soap Box Derby events for four years, and was even a champion of last year’s race in Lima.
On July 24, Riley used her champion-level racing skills to help disabled children achieve their dreams of competing in a Soap Box Derby race of their own.
Riley, who will be a freshman at Bath High School, was a co-pilot for around 20 young people from across the United States and Canada who competed in the National Super Kids Classic held in Akron.
The race allows children with mental and physical disabilities to participate in their own Soap Box Derby through the help of co-pilots such as Riley, who ride along with the competitors.
It was Riley’s first time racing in the Super Kids Classic, and it was an experience she said she will never forget.
“It was such a blessing to be able to do that,” Riley said. “It was a lot of fun to help out and get to meet all the kids.”
She drove competitors in the qualifying race, with the top six drivers advancing to the final round. One of the children she drove, Ally Nuemann, went on to win this year’s Super Kids Classic.
Riley said helping Ally advance to the final round was one of her favorite moments.
“I told her she had won and she started crying and gave me a huge hug,” she said. “It was just amazing.”
For Riley, interacting with special-needs children was the best part of the experience. She recalled meeting a young girl from Florida who she became instant friends with.
“They held a banquet for everyone the day before the race and I met this 9-year-old girl from Florida named Addison,” Riley said. “She held my hand like the entire banquet, and that really got to me. It was just so sweet.”
In the future, Riley’s connection with special-needs children will likely go beyond Soap Box Derby races. Her mother, Mary Iiames, said Riley is thinking about become an intervention specialist whose job is to work with special-needs children in an educational environment.
Iiames said she is not surprised how dedicated her daughter has become to helping those with disabilities.
“That sense of wanting to help others, that’s the way Riley is,” she said. “She just really likes to help out other people whenever she can.”
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