2008
Trenton’s Living Hope church helps inner city kids discover karting. 
By Robin Ervin


Starting in March 2008 Living Hope church has been giving some of Trenton NJ’s 
youth their first taste of kart racing. Since March has made four appearances on 
the track at Englishtown’s Raceway Park karting road course. Currently the 
Living Hope kart program has six youngsters in the junior division and six in 
the senior division. 

The Living Hope kart program is an idea that has been two years in the making.  
The idea began with a dream of Joe Wisniewski’s, a member of the Trenton’s 
Living Hope church youth group councilors; Wisniewski had faith and belief in 
the potential of the inner-city teenagers he met in Trenton.  He wanted to find 
an activity that would engage the youth in positive way, to give them an 
after-school option other than hanging out on the streets.  The church’s pastor 
Julio Guzman shared his belief.  Wisniewski was a football and auto racing 
photographer, therefore karting came to mind as the ideal activity. NASCAR’s Urban

Youth racing program inspired the Living Hope karting program.

When Wisniewski unexpectently passed away on Memorial day 2007, the church 
leaders, some community leaders and his close friend Bob Danka dedicated 
themselves to making Wisniewski’s dream a reality by taking up where he left 
off.  Fundraising efforts are currently underway to finance a proper garage 
facility, tools and suits for the karters. The racesuits and safety equipment 
currently being used by the Living Hope kart program are being borrowed from 
Keith Raffa of Full Tilt Racing. 

So far, fund raising efforts have enabled the program to buy a kart trailer and 
six Honda powered sprint karts. Some day they hope to be able to have a 
combination race shop/church community center that Trenton’s youth can go to 
after school to learn about racing or to seek council when they need someone to 
talk to. 

When looking for someone to be the program’s racing coach/mentor, the Living 
Hope church asked one of their church members and youth councilors, Bob Danka to bring his years of karting 
experience to the program.  Danka, who helped bring karting back to Wall 
Township Speedway a couple years ago, agreed to help anyway he could.  

Danka asked during a youth group meeting one day  “How many of you would be 
interested in getting involved with karting.”  Danka said, “I was pleased to see 
that many of them were willing to give karting a try.” “The attitude’s of the 
kids are great. They don’t care that they don’t have new racesuits or the latest 
equipment, they just love to race.” 
  
The six Honda karts the program received did not come pre assembled. The young 
karters assembled the karts with the help of Danka in Danka’s back yard, which 
temporary functions as the racing school’s garage. 

Danka is helping them learn not only how to race but also how to set up their 
karts for varying track and weather conditions.  The kids work in groups of two 
or three on the karts and keep a log of all the changes they make and the lap times they run. Danka stated, “ The kids do all the wrench work, I just 
supervise. While having fun, the young racers are also seeing the benefits of 
teamwork, attention to detail and dedication. The shared experience of racing 
together also bonds the racers together and allows them to be themselves with 
others their age. Danka said “ It’s really great to see them drop their hard 
looks, forget about what ever is troubling them in their own lives and see them 
just have fun and act like kids. It makes the long hours and hard work all 
worthwhile.” 

For more information on the Living Hope church visit www.livinghopetrenton.com. 
To learn more about the Living Hope Racing School or to learn how to contribute 
to the school, email Pastor Guzman at jaguzy@comcast.net or call Bob Danka at 
609 213 3624.