MARYSVILLE — Wearing oversized red coveralls and flaunting decorated hard hats, kids bubbled with excitement Monday night as they waited to build their very own cars.
The Toyota Mini Makers Garage teaches kids ages 8 to 13 about automotive engineering, guiding each through the process of making their toy car. Marysville Toyota and the Toyota Lexus Minority Owners Dealership Association partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Snohomish County to hold the event.
“Do you know what we’re gonna do today?” Alan Williams, general manager of quality systems and planning at Toyota headquarters, asked the kids.
“Build a car!” one exclaimed, bursting out of their seat.
Williams led the attendees through building their mini cars step by step, from the tires and seats to the body and taillights. He encouraged them to take as many math classes as they can in high school so engineering is an option for them in college.
Alan Williams leads the Junior Makers at Toyota Mini Makers Garage through instructions on how to assemble their miniature cars on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Jim Colon, owner of Marysville Toyota, said the retail automotive industry really needs automotive technicians. He hopes the event interests some kids who might not have been exposed to engineering before.
“Having an interest develop in anything starts at an early age,” Colon said. “This could be that spark for somebody.”
Parents Ashley and Matthew Melendez heard about the event through the Boys & Girls Club and knew it would be something their son, Desmond, would enjoy. He loved the Toyota they rented for a recent trip and said he wanted one when he grows up.
Desmond said his favorite part of his car was “having fun building it.”
Chaske Crawford, 11, left, Jackson Hackett, 11, center, and Charlie Bontempo, 9, race their finished miniature car during Toyota Mini Makers Garage on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Some of the young engineers took turns racing their new creations.
One of the racers, 9-year-old Charlie Bontempo, finished early and helped other kids while he was waiting. His favorite part of his car was the tires.
His brother, 12-year-old Alex Bontempo, has been working on building a bike, but after the event said he’d be interested in building a car someday, too. Kaelyn Kirby, 13, said she’d also want to build a car. Or a motorcycle.
At the end, the kids got to see a real version of the car they built — a GR86 — and learned about the functions of all the parts under the hood.
Charlie Bontempo, 9, thinks about what color car he wants while picking out his car body during Toyota Mini Makers Garage on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The lessons some kids took away from the evening were much bigger than how to build a car.
“I learned that things might seem easy when they’re really not,” said Kaelyn’s sister Nevaeh Kirby, 10.
Williams said this age group is the most curious, so it’s a good time to encourage them to pursue engineering. Earning an engineering degree can help young people with problem solving skills down the line, he said, even if it doesn’t end up being their career.
In July, he led his first Toyota Mini Makers Garage in New York City. He jumped at the opportunity to lead the Marysville event, even though he had an 8 a.m. meeting in Texas the next day.
“I love the way they light up when they have that sense of accomplishment, when they do it with their own hands,” he said. “That just gives me life. Their energy is amazing.”
Jenna Peterson: 425-339-3486; jenna.peterson@heraldnet.com; X: @jennarpetersonn.
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