Leslie Hopp, a Winnebago High School teacher and Joe Rice Memorial Car Show organizer, with Joe’s car (Photo by Lynne Conner/For Chronicle Media)

The Joe Rice Memorial Car Show honors a former Winnebago High School student and serves as a vehicle for recognizing and addressing teen mental health issues. 

The third annual show is set for Aug. 10 at Winnebago High School. 

Rice, a wrestler, football player and car enthusiast, lost his life to suicide in 2022, just six months after graduating.  

“I was Joe’s teacher and case manager during his high school years,” said Leslie Hopp, a Winnebago High School special education teacher and Car Show organizer. “When I met Joe in the fall of his freshman year, I never imagined the impact this student would have on me and the entire Winnebago community.” 

As Rice’s teacher and case manager, Hopp developed an Individualized Education Plan to help him with reading difficulties. 

“Because Joe had an IEP, I worked closely with him, his family, and his other teachers in formulating a plan to manage his reading issues,” Hopp said. “Many times, students with learning disabilities develop mental health issues due to the stigma of being different than their peers.” 

“Joe came into high school as a nervous freshman and grew into a young man, but he struggled with mental health issues, in addition to his reading difficulties,” she said. “When the COVID-19 pandemic happened, everyone close to Joe was working to put mental, emotional and educational supports in place to help him be successful.”  

Rice made two attempts at suicide between his junior and senior years.  

“With the support of Joe’s family and our interventions at school, we were able to help Joe stabilize his life and he graduated in 2022,” Hopp said. “Even with all the support Joe received in high school, it was difficult for him to manage life on his own after graduation.” 

Just months after Rice’s death, his grandfather passed away unexpectedly, leaving Rice’s grandmother devastated by the loss of both her grandson and husband.  

“Finding out about Joe’s suicide was like a gut punch, because I was very close to him and his family,” Hopp said. “I felt helpless at the time, but knew I wanted to do something in his memory.” By the spring of 2023, Hopp reached out to Rice’s family with the idea of doing a car show.  

“Initially, because I wasn’t a family member, I didn’t know if it was my place to organize a car show in his honor,” she said. “Joe’s family gave me their blessing, and we had the First Annual Joe Rice Memorial Car Show in the summer of 2023.” 

Hopp said the car show is free for the public, and money raised from entry fees, sponsorships, donations and raffles goes toward a scholarship in Rice’s name for a Winnebago High School graduating senior.  

“Anything with wheels is eligible to be in the car show,” Hopp said, “because we want this event to be a vehicle for changing the stigma around teen mental health issues.”  

During high school, Rice was working on rebuilding a Mazda RX-8 sports car with his grandfather. That sports car will be on display at this year’s show, though it hasn’t yet been fully rebuilt.  

“As a way to grieve the loss of both her grandson and husband, Joe’s grandmother, Becky, decided to get the car restored,” Hopp said.  

“The owner of a body shop in Aurora, who knew about Joe’s death and his plans for the Mazda, offered to fix the car for Becky at a discounted rate,” she said. 

“Joe was an 18-year-old kid who wanted his car to be low, mean and fast. His dream was to replace the Mazda’s motor with a Corvette engine,” Hopp said.  

“Unfortunately, the body shop owner was very deceitful and didn’t do any repairs on Joe’s car,” she said. “He wouldn’t return calls from Becky, and she finally got Joe’s car back after the body shop went out of business in the summer of 2024.” 

After Becky’s ordeal with the body shop, she made a surprising decision regarding Rice’s car.  

“Becky called me and said she was gifting Joe’s car to me and my family,” Hopp said. “She knows that we are dedicated car enthusiasts and that we will honor Joe’s wishes in rebuilding the car.” 

While it may take a while to restore Rice’s Mazda, Hopp wants the car show to be a living tribute to her former student.  

“We want the Joe Rice Memorial Car Show to be a vehicle for good by raising awareness and intervention for teen mental health issues,” she said.  

“Even through his death, Joe had a big heart. He was an organ donor, and he wanted to help people. That was his legacy; one we want to carry on.”