Amador County – The 25th annual Pi Kappa Phi Journey of Hope will ride into Jackson for the 23rd time next Tuesday, June 5 looking to enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities.
PUSH Journey of Hope publicist Paul Willar said a team of cyclists will arrive in Jackson as a stop on their 4,000-mile cycling event across the country to raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities. The 25th Journey of Hope is presented by KRG Capital.
The team, which will include Arc Executive Director Mike Sweeney, will ride into Saint Sava Mission in Jackson to be greeted by Arc of Amador and Calaveras Counties for lunch and a Friendship Visit at noon on Tuesday, June 5. Sweeney said this is the 23rd time that Arc has hosted the PUSH riders, as many years as Sweeney has directed the organization. That evening at 5 p.m., dinner will be provided by the Jackson Lion’s Club at Mel and Faye’s Diner.
The Journey of Hope is a program of Push America, the national philanthropy of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, which raises funds and awareness for people with disabilities. The Journey of Hope team consists of men from Pi Kappa Phi chapters across the country. The team will cycle an average of 75 miles per day, beginning in San Francisco and ending in Washington, D.C., on August 5.
Riders take three routes, North, South and TransAmerica and at stops across the country, they will distribute grants directly to assist organizations in serving people with disabilities. Arc provides services to people with disabilities in Amador and Calaveras counties, including assisted living, work and travel.
Willar said for the touring team, “the real journey will not be on a bike, but spending time with the people for whom they are riding. The Journey of Hope team members will spend every afternoon with people with disabilities in many different community events and activities.”
Willar said: “These men are striving for community inclusion of people with disabilities and are helping to break the barriers of society that keep people of all abilities from living life to the fullest.”
This year marks Push America’s 35th anniversary and Journey of Hope’s 25th. The organization was founded in 1977 with the hope of committing its members to enhance the lives of people with disabilities.
With the combined efforts of sponsors and individual team members, this year’s Journey of Hope will raise more than $500,000 on behalf of people with disabilities. Push America and Pi Kappa Phi have raised more than $15 million dollars to date and continue to be on the cutting edge of the disability movement.
Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
