Levi Strauss Signature, the title sponsor of the All-American Soap Box Derby (AASBD), announced that the Ringold family from Fredericksburg, Va. has been selected the 2005 “Levi Strauss Signature Family of the Year.” The Ringold family was selected for its contributions to this great youth racing pastime by exemplifying the core values of the Levi Strauss Signature brand and the AASBD, which include: teamwork, dedication, competition, perseverance, sportsmanship and a sense of family. The family was nominated by Alvin Staples, director of the Fredericksburg AASBD chapter. Parents, Gregg and Janice, with children, Gennifer and Jonathan, and neighbors, Chris and Daniel, traveled to the 68th AASBD Championship in Akron, Ohio, last weekend, where they were honored during the championship award presentations on Saturday. The entire Ringold family is involved in their local Soap Box Derby chapter. They are the first to arrive and the last to leave at every event they work including: clinics, inspection weekends and race days. In addition to their own two children racing, Gregg and Janice have supplied a car and transportation for two neighbors who did not have the means to race. An official Youth Initiative of NASCAR, the AASBD season runs year-round and is comprised of more than 450 races across the United States and overseas, culminating with the annual event in Akron. Boys and girls ages 8-17 build their own gravity-powered car from kits purchased from the AASBD, typically with assistance from a parent or other adult. Earlier this spring, the Levi Strauss Signature brand entered into a sponsorship agreement with the AASBD to become the title sponsor of the organization’s championship event in Akron, while NASCAR Nextel Cup driver [#48] Jimmie Johnson serves as the Derby’s national spokesperson.(Alan Taylor Communications PR)(8-2-2005)
