These men (pictured with Director of Logistics Chelsea Ball) will be leading the three routes of Journey of Hope and maintaining the safety of our participants all summer. They all moved down to Charlotte in January and will be planning the summer through June when the events kick off.
Torin Kellett
Project Manager – Journey of Hope TransAmerica Route
Torin is in charge planning and executing all logistics of the Journey of Hope TransAmerica Route. His favorite thing about this opportunity is the chance to connect with so many people that share some of the same beliefs that he has about the people that The Ability Experience serves. And knowing that this organization truly does make an impact on those that it comes into contact and even those that it does not come into direct contact with.
Torin is finishing up classes at Indiana State University this semester. Come May, he will be graduating with a degree in Recreation and Sport Management. He was a member of the Eta Beta chapter at ISU and held the role of Treasurer for a year.
Torin really enjoys listening to music. Whether the weather is nice or not, one of his favorite things to do is drive around and just listen to music. He also likes to play video games, probably more than he should. And lastly, he likes to stay active; he goes to the gym almost every day.
Zach LePla
Project Manager – Journey of Hope North Route
As the project manager for Journey of Hope Zach works to plan the 68 day, 4,000 mile, cycling trek that will take 38 team members from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., while raising money and awareness for people with disabilities across the country. Zach’s favorite part of his job is the opportunity to create an experience that will impact so many lives, and truly make a difference in the lives of people of all abilities.
Zach attends the University of Toledo where he hopes to graduate with a degree in Psychology in 2017, and pursue graduate studies. While at the University of Toledo, Zach has been involved in Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity where he served as Risk Management Officer, Student Judiciary Council where he served as an associate justice, and Best Buddies Toledo which he helped to found and serves as current Vice-Chairman of the Board.
In his spare time Zach enjoys watching and playing sports, reading, writing, and playing piano. Zach is also fortunate enough to hail from the greatest city on earth – Toledo, Ohio, and enjoys visiting the best rated Toledo Zoo, exploring the highly esteemed Toledo Museum of Art, and cheering on the unbeatable University of Toledo Rockets. Fun fact about Zach: He won multiple awards for his original poetry in high school.
Joey Smith
Journey of Hope Project Manager – South Route
As the project manager of the route Joey will be planning all of the logistics ranging from meals, friendship visits, and other aspects of the day for the south route team. Once the summer begins he will be with the team executing all of the plans as the team travels from Long Beach, CA to Washington D.C. Joey said that his favorite part of the job is, “Getting to see the impact that our organization can make on others and watching the guys on the team grow as men.”
Joey will be graduating in December 2017 with a BS in Exercise Science from Truman State University.
In his free time, Joey enjoys cycling, football, exercising, watching TV shows, movies and documentaries.
Matt Sutter
Team Events Coordinator
As Team Events Coordinator, Matt will be working alongside the Project Managers on planning the roads each route takes. Also Matt will be working on assisting chapters when it comes to creating lasting partnerships with local disability centers in their area.
Matt attended the University of Toledo, where he graduated December 2016 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and the Arts. While attending Toledo Matt served as his chapter’s Treasurer, Philanthropy Chairman, and House Manager. He was also was a member of the Zeta Phi Eta (Professional Communication Fraternity) and served as the social and recruitment chairman.
When Matt is not in the office you can find him outdoors cycling, running, and hiking. If he is not outside he enjoys watching movies he hasn’t seen before. Matt will also be participating in Journey of Hope for the second time this summer and looks forward to another summer serving those with disabilities.