Happiness Bag client Sabrina Fort dances with Journey of Hope Rider Michael Batres Tuesday evening before dinner. The riders were treated to a supper of pulled pork sandwiches and a chance to meet local staffand clients of the Happiness Bag, a recreational and educational facility for adults and children with disabilities. Tribune-Star | Jim Avelis
That was 54 days ago. The Indiana State University student joined his Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity brothers from around the nation as they began pedaling bicycles toward the nation’s capital, stepping off on a 4,200-mile journey supporting people with disabilities.
“It was a little difficult getting out of the city (Seattle) because we started downtown and cycled out,” Kellett recalled Tuesday on a stop in Terre Haute.
The cross-country ride is part of the Journey of Hope, an event organized by Pi Kappa Phi’s philanthropy The Ability Experience. Participants will have collected $570,000 for grants awarded to disability services organizations and have the opportunity to visit clients of various programs along the route. Riders are divided into three teams. As the TransAmerica group left Seattle, the north team pedaled out of Oakland, Calif., and the south bunch departed from Long Beach, Calif. Everyone will converge Aug. 8 in Washington, D.C., to conclude the journey.