Marty McDaniels has been living in Homewood, Pittsburgh for 13 years. His hobby is building and racing remote control cars. For the past several summers, Marty has been racing on a 'bashing' track, a backyard track in an abandoned lot near his residence. Knowing that Homewood has a reputation for violence and negativity, Marty is seeking to turn his hobby into something positive; a public racetrack where kids and adults can race in a place free of fear and intolerance.

Marty is an amazing character with a passion for his hobby and a positive outlook on what RC racing can bring to his community. Working as a dishwasher at Chatham University, Marty puts every spare dollar he earns toward remote controlled car parts, limestone dirt to give the track a professional surface, and tools needed to make necessary repairs to his growing collection of cars.

Having built the existing track by himself, Marty realizes that, for his hobby to reach other people, he needs help. Marty is collaborating with DALIBORKAfilms to create a documentary about his amazing hobby. We will visit existing RC tracks in the greater Western PA area, talk to organizations promoting RC racing, visit hobby shops to learn about different RC cars, all while building our own public track in Homewood.

The vision is big, but we have to start small. RC tracks are very suburban but few are found within the city limits. By creating a fun, positive, racing environment that is accessible to everyone, we can raise awareness for the sport of RC racing and the positive effects it can have on urban youth and adults. Many people want to race but there simply isn't a place within the city limits. Marty's goal is community awareness and involvement.

This grant would be the first step, but a crucial step. By cleaning up the lot and putting in a few professional touches, we can begin to create a Pittsburgh RC track that everyone can be proud of.