Victory lap — From left, Patrick Douw, Henry Beyers, Wesley van Rooy, Sandike Qetwa, Brandon van Rooy, Leon Beyers, and Adian Kok read about their wire car race in Beyond Ourselves.
B.J. Miller of Goshen with one of the wire cars that he made, inspired by the story of kids in South Africa who held a wire car race.
The kids featured in the February Beyond Ourselves cover story inspired us, and it looks as if their energy and creativity is contagious. Last October, 16 kids ran their homemade wire cars through the streets of Philipstown, South Africa, in an event that brought people together from different communities, breaking down racial barriers. The race participants, above, got a chance to read about their exploits in our last issue.
B.J. Miller of Goshen, Ind., read the story and began building his own wire car—and he hasn’t stopped. Miller has handcrafted seven cars, three of which he’s sold to benefit the youth group at Walnut Hill Mennonite Church. Miller fashions the cars from recycled materials, using as many as 20 coat hangers in one car. Most models have rack-and-pinion steering and feature wheels made out of Ensure bottles or tuna cans. “We can’t eat tuna fast enough!” said Miller.
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