Pi Kappa Phi brothers raising funds for summer-long Journey of Hope charity trip
Three Pi Kappa Phi brothers will embark on a philanthropic cross-country journey from San Francisco to Washington D.C. this summer.
This is the 25th year that Push America, an advocacy organization, will host the Journey of Hope. The event involves Pi Kappa Phi members traveling in groups of road crews and cyclists to raise awareness for those with disabilities.
The students had different reactions when they first heard about the program.
“I jumped on the chance right away,” said Farmington Hills senior Spencer Haworth in an email. “I want to raise awareness for people with disabilities because of my mother and twin brother who suffer from physical and mental diseases. I want to give my time and effort to people who need it much more than I do."
While Haworth decided to participate because of family, his Pi Kappa Phi brothers had their own reasons for wanting to join the journey.
“I went to a conference and there was a presentation about Journey of Hope and I talked to one of the brothers who had attended. I would have signed up right away if I would have had Wi-Fi,” said Dearborn Heights junior Keith Jones in an email. “I've never done something like this before, so I want to get the experience on what it’s like to work with people and to understand the abilities they really have.”
Rockwood sophomore Jeremy Osborne said he decided to get involved after hearing about the experiences of other Pi Kappa Phi members.
“I want to change the lives of people with disabilities and overall raise awareness for the everyday problems he or she may face," he said in an email. "Just the ability to see everyone smile and forget about what their disability may be for an hour or a whole day is amazing, and to leave them with a smile on their face is my main goal throughout the trip."
Although the three Central Michigan University students won’t be cycling, they will assist as part of the road crew.
“The road crew is essentially the people who will communicate with sponsors, set up events, places to sleep, finance the trip and make sure the bikers are always healthy and on-route when they are biking," Jones said. "We make sure we go from point A to point B in one piece."
The three agreed they are participating to improve their lives by helping others, and they have also started raising awareness to friends and acquaintances in the community.
“I think that this event is a wonderful way to raise awareness about disabilities, not only to the people that they will encounter along the way, but for people like me who previously had no knowledge of this event or what they stood for, and now I am going to contribute what I can and keep up with their updates along the way,” said Port Huron senior McKenzie Bade, who is friends with the three.
They are hoping for the support of the community as they fundraise to make this adventure possible.
“I am very proud of them and I know that they will make a difference in a lot of people's lives," said Pi Kappa Phi Vice President and Lapeer junior Radu Feneser. "They are all great guys who love giving back.”
