ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Fellow members of Pi Kappa Phi fraternities from around the country are about to embark on a bicycle trip across the country to celebrate the abilities of all people and raise funds to support programs for people with disabilities.
What you need to know: Journey of Hope is an empowerment experience created by Pi Kappa Phi
Each year, members of the fraternity bike across the country to raise awareness of disabilities and funds for disability programs.
The journey will begin on the West Coast on June 5th and finish in Washington DC on August 10th.
The Journey of Hope is a bike trip from the East Coast to the West Coast: 60 Pi Kappa Phi members, including several from RIT, will set off from Seattle and San Francisco and bike to Washington DC.
RIT student Alex Johnsen jokes that he’s never cycled outside of riding a bike as a child, but he wanted to take part in the annual Pi Kappa Phi Journey of Hope. He’ll spend his summer on the ability-building ride, crisscrossing the country spreading the disability awareness message and stopping by organizations along the way to spend time with friends in the disability community. According to Journey of Hope, 6.5 million Americans have developmental disabilities.
“I’ve been training for this trip and I’m totally hooked. Who else would want to cycle across the country for such a good cause? I’m so happy I’m part of this journey. It’s going to be the best summer of my life,” Johnsen said.
For safety, the cyclists will be accompanied by a support team; Nate Nesbitt will drive one of the team’s vans.
“This will be my first trip like this, traveling by car every day, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve flown across the country and visited a few states before, but never on a trip like this. I’m excited to see the country in this way,” Nesbitt said.
Johnsen said he plans to ride about 75 miles a day on the annual ride, which has raised more than $1 million for disability programs, and arrive in Washington, D.C., on August 10.