Wednesday, 17 June 2009 00:33

PUSH America 2009

slide2.pngAmador County – About 175 people in all participated in the Amador County branch of the 2009 PUSH America Journey of Hope bicycle ride and luncheon at Saint Sava mission Tuesday morning in Jackson. About 60 national members of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, from colleges and universities all over the country, rode into Amador County from Sacramento in the early stages of their cross-country ride to reach out to communities, organizations, and people with disabilities. ARC of Amador Executive Director Mike Sweeney and about 120 people, including his staff members and ARC participants greeted the riders, who set out Sunday from the Golden Gate Bridge on the cross-country ride, called “Journey of Hope.” The destination is Washington D.C., and the ride is to raise awareness and funding for people with disabilities. ARC, which assists people with disabilities in the community of Amador County, has been a host organization and fundraising beneficiary of Journey of Hope and its Pi Kappa Phi bicyclists for 21 years now. The fraternity has several philanthropic events under its PUSH America program. On Tuesday, Sweeney greeted the riders and their pace vans and treated them to a hotdog lunch on the picnic tables at Saint Sava Mission. Sweeney said in Nevada, the 60 or so riders and their assisting vans will split into a northern route group and a southern route group. He said it was a good way for the program to spread the word to more communities and also to assist more communities. Push America’s website said the group “has been cycling all across the country on behalf of people with disabilities since 1988.” PUSH America has visited more than 30 states, and the “cycling events are carrying with them a message of acceptance and understanding for people with disabilities.” 2 of the group’s team events, Gear Up Florida and the Journey of Hope, “provide grant funding to partnering organizations, through an application process, located in the cities we visit.” For information online, see PUSHAmerica.org. Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.