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ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4)—Dozens of kids throughout the St. Louis metro area are building racing boats to challenge their minds and gain knowledge for the future.

Darlene Sowell is the President and CEO of Unleashing Potential. The organization has been around for more than 100 years to ensure that children can succeed regardless of their income, race or zip code.

Last year, Unleashing Potential served over 1,100 children through after-school programs in University City, Ferguson-Florissant and St. Louis City. They’ve also been running a summer camp for decades, but this year, they wanted to do something different.

Sowell said they decided on a boat regatta as a fun way to engage the kids in STEM activities. The cardboard boats will be designed, built, and tested before a boat regatta later this month at St. Louis City’s O’Fallon Park.

Unleashing Potential hopes to have between 15 and 20 boats in the regatta later this month. They are still looking for teams to enter. Click here to learn more about the event and ways you can get involved.