Shop With a Cop event gives kids opportunity to ride in Lamborghini

PARK CITY — It's not every day a child gets to ride in a $500,000 car, but Saturday was an exception for 40 children in Wasatch and Summit counties.

Engines roared and anxious children watched as Lamborghini owners drove their cars into Utah Olympic Park. This year, Giro Lamborghini added a charity element to its tour by stopping in Park City to give underprivileged children a ride in one of the exotic cars.

The ride was a first-year fundraiser for the annual Shop With a Cop event.

"It's like a dream come true. It's amazing," said Breanna Mortensen, 15, of Heber.

Breanna and her sister, Shaylla, 13, both selected to be a part of Shop With a Cop, were able to ride in a Lamborghini alongside the car's owner.

"I think it is truly amazing for the children to get a chance," said Rebecca Trump, the sisters' aunt and foster mom.

Trump has been a foster parent to her two nieces for the past nine months and also has four children of her own.

"There are a lot of foster children that would probably just thrive on something like this," she said.

Children of all ages and their parents weaved in between the cars looking in awe at the 35 vehicles parked at the plaza.

"I never even knew what one was before today," said 12-year-old Nick Webb, of Midway.

After looking at all of the Lamborghinis, Nick said the car is his new favorite.

His mother, Nicole Webb, said just seeing the cars was a memorable experience for her son.

"He saw them drive by and thought it was the coolest thing in the world," Webb said.

After the rides, the children were treated to a private showing of the U.S. Aerial Ski Team's performance and received free tickets for Utah Olympic Park rides for the day.

The annual Giro Lamborghini event usually takes place in California, but organizers decided to begin this year's event in Utah.

"Giro wanted to do something different," said event manager Kelly Snyder, "and we thought, 'Wouldn't it be neat if we did some kind of charitable work?' "

Snyder, who lives in Park City, said he believes the inaugural event offers something for underprivileged children to enjoy during the summer time, rather than just during the winter with Shop With a Cop.

"This is new for us," said Park City Police Sgt. Bob Lucking. "(Giro Lamborghini) picked us this year, and they invited us to participate."

Not only did children get a ride, but Lamborghini also donated to the charity program and gave each child a special gift — their own small-scale, die-cast model of a Lamborghini.

e-mail: cneugebauer@desnews.com