Post by admin on Apr 16, 2009 16:01:54 GMT -5
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Race car club adviser enjoys helping youths
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
CLARE MARIE CELANO Members of the Freehold Racers Club gather at the Carnegie Library in Freehold Borough to place their racing car models in the library's showcase. Pictured (l-r) are Michael J. Wright, Gabriel Dellechiaie, club founder Al Michenfelder and club president Michael Dellechiaie.
FREEHOLD — Al Michenfelder loves race cars. The borough resident also has a passion for teaching and passing on his knowledge of racing cars to youngsters.
Michenfelder, 48, who heads up the Freehold Racers Club, spends a great deal of time researching and acquiring information about race cars, which he then passes on to the club members as they craft model cars.
He has been doing this for 16 years and has taught more than 100 children how to make model cars. His enthusiasm for the car club is still visible when one sees him interact with the children he supervises.
The club members meet every Saturday at the Court Street School Education Community Center to make their model cars. In an annual contest one club member receives a $25 gift certificate from the Court Jester for the best car. The cars are displayed in the Carnegie Library on East Main Street.
Recently, brothers Michael Dellechiaie, 11, (club president), and Gabriel Dellechiaie, 7, both of Freehold Borough, Michael A. Wright, 8, of Freehold Borough, and Brianna Malone, 8, of Freehold Township, were on hand to help put their cars in the library showcase.
Two other children, brothers Tony Chirino, 7, and Damien Chirino, 5, both of Freehold Borough, also have cars on display but could not attend the event because it was "past their bedtime," according to Michenfelder.
Each child's car will vie for Best in Show. The winner will be chosen by library patrons. The votes will be counted by Michenfelder on April 23 and he will then present the winner with his or her prize at a Borough Council meeting, maintaining an annual tradition.
This year's car collection has several older-model Corvettes, a 1979 Camaro, a 1936 Chevrolet Flimsy, a Hummer, a 2007 Corvette, a 2010 Concept Car Corvette and a PT Cruiser. There are also two team cars in the showcase, the 1979 Camaro and the 1936 Chevrolet Flimsy.
The team cars give each child an opportunity to put a part on the car, according to Michenfelder.
The model cars are all painstakingly crafted by club members under Michenfelder's guidance and with the help of the club president, who is chosen annually.
The club president has the responsibility of making sure each child is doing well with his or her own car, especially the younger children.
"It is also the president's responsibility to make sure every child gets the chance to put a part on the team car and that each child gets to paint some of the car," Michenfelder said.
The club president also imparts the knowledge and skills that he or she receives from Michenfelder.
The children also learn how each part works and what it does on a car. He said local merchants such as Jodi Gilpin of Freehold Tire provide parts that help the youngsters learn about cars.
"He has been helping me out for 16 years," Michenfelder said of Gilpin.
Michenfelder said he receives great satisfaction when a child completes a car for the first time and happily says, "Look at this, I did it."
"I want to give them responsibility so they can learn to have pride in what they do," he said. "The kids do it all. They have a sense of pride when they see their first model made. It's so nice to see their faces light up."
Each child receives a racing hat, racing patches and race car stickers. This year Valvoline donated special hats and T-shirts.
Michenfelder spends a great deal of time working with race car companies, many of whom have been very generous to his club, including Manley Performance, Lakewood, and Jesel Valve Train Innovation, Lakewood.
Michenfelder's love of race cars and his desire to teach children is this community volunteer's winning combination.
Race car club adviser enjoys helping youths
BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer
CLARE MARIE CELANO Members of the Freehold Racers Club gather at the Carnegie Library in Freehold Borough to place their racing car models in the library's showcase. Pictured (l-r) are Michael J. Wright, Gabriel Dellechiaie, club founder Al Michenfelder and club president Michael Dellechiaie.
FREEHOLD — Al Michenfelder loves race cars. The borough resident also has a passion for teaching and passing on his knowledge of racing cars to youngsters.
Michenfelder, 48, who heads up the Freehold Racers Club, spends a great deal of time researching and acquiring information about race cars, which he then passes on to the club members as they craft model cars.
He has been doing this for 16 years and has taught more than 100 children how to make model cars. His enthusiasm for the car club is still visible when one sees him interact with the children he supervises.
The club members meet every Saturday at the Court Street School Education Community Center to make their model cars. In an annual contest one club member receives a $25 gift certificate from the Court Jester for the best car. The cars are displayed in the Carnegie Library on East Main Street.
Recently, brothers Michael Dellechiaie, 11, (club president), and Gabriel Dellechiaie, 7, both of Freehold Borough, Michael A. Wright, 8, of Freehold Borough, and Brianna Malone, 8, of Freehold Township, were on hand to help put their cars in the library showcase.
Two other children, brothers Tony Chirino, 7, and Damien Chirino, 5, both of Freehold Borough, also have cars on display but could not attend the event because it was "past their bedtime," according to Michenfelder.
Each child's car will vie for Best in Show. The winner will be chosen by library patrons. The votes will be counted by Michenfelder on April 23 and he will then present the winner with his or her prize at a Borough Council meeting, maintaining an annual tradition.
This year's car collection has several older-model Corvettes, a 1979 Camaro, a 1936 Chevrolet Flimsy, a Hummer, a 2007 Corvette, a 2010 Concept Car Corvette and a PT Cruiser. There are also two team cars in the showcase, the 1979 Camaro and the 1936 Chevrolet Flimsy.
The team cars give each child an opportunity to put a part on the car, according to Michenfelder.
The model cars are all painstakingly crafted by club members under Michenfelder's guidance and with the help of the club president, who is chosen annually.
The club president has the responsibility of making sure each child is doing well with his or her own car, especially the younger children.
"It is also the president's responsibility to make sure every child gets the chance to put a part on the team car and that each child gets to paint some of the car," Michenfelder said.
The club president also imparts the knowledge and skills that he or she receives from Michenfelder.
The children also learn how each part works and what it does on a car. He said local merchants such as Jodi Gilpin of Freehold Tire provide parts that help the youngsters learn about cars.
"He has been helping me out for 16 years," Michenfelder said of Gilpin.
Michenfelder said he receives great satisfaction when a child completes a car for the first time and happily says, "Look at this, I did it."
"I want to give them responsibility so they can learn to have pride in what they do," he said. "The kids do it all. They have a sense of pride when they see their first model made. It's so nice to see their faces light up."
Each child receives a racing hat, racing patches and race car stickers. This year Valvoline donated special hats and T-shirts.
Michenfelder spends a great deal of time working with race car companies, many of whom have been very generous to his club, including Manley Performance, Lakewood, and Jesel Valve Train Innovation, Lakewood.
Michenfelder's love of race cars and his desire to teach children is this community volunteer's winning combination.