Cyclists from Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity across the country stopped in Pratt during their 4,300 plus miles trip across the U.S. to raise funds and awareness for people with abilities of all kinds.
The University Sertoma Club of Lincoln hosted the Journey of Hope cyclists of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity brothers from across the nation July 12 for a picnic dinner at Antelope Park.
After enjoying the enormous generosity The Arc of Central Nebraska yesterday, who put the team up in the beautiful Hotel Grand for some much needed rest, the team was up bright and early again this morning to get back on the road. Today's destination: Denver, Colorado. As everyone sleepily shuffles out of the hotel, perhaps wishing we were still relishing the comfort the air conditioned rooms and an actual bed to sleep on, we pack up the van with the luggage, the tools, and our tired selves to hit the road.
The drive is long and scenic. The long golden plains and green farmland typical of the Midwest whizzes by out the windows of the van and the clouds tower high above. Many of us took advantage of the car ride to get a few more hours of shut eye, as our driver guzzled caffeine and played some mellow tunes over the radio.
When we finally got to Denver headed directly to our lodging, sponsored by Developmental Disabilities Resources Center, to get settled for the night. We met with Trevor Joy, set up our spots on the large gymnasium floor and then got ready to go meet with pi kapp alumni Adam Bacon and John McGarry (Beta Gamma Colorado Boulder and Eta Upsilon Miami Ohio) who sponsored a delicious meal for us at the Wynkoop Brewery in downtown Denver.
After we were all finally well-fed and well-rested, the team decided to go out, have some fun and explore Denver on our night off. One of the team members, Austin Bolella, is a member of the local DU pi kap chapter epsilon chi and generously invited his brothers to his house here in Denver. The mood was lively and the whole team had a great time relaxing, hanging out, sharing stories and meeting some fellow pi kapp's from Epsilon Chi chapter.
It was a great night but also a long day and after a couple hours out everyone was exhausted and ready to call it a night. Overall, the day was another in a series of exciting, eventful exhausting days that the whole team has all come to expect here on Build America.
Nick Strohmeyer
Build America 2017
Today was our last day at Camp Wawbeek in the Wisconsin Dells and we hit the road early this morning at 8:00 to make the trek to Grand Island, Nebraska. We had a long previous night of working overtime on our projects, the pirate ship and the shed. We completed the pirate ship which was an incredible accomplishment! I'm very proud of our team for their dedication to work overtime to complete this project along with the team that worked their butts off to build the shed in a short period of time. Once we all woke up this Friday morning, we gathered our things and started to pack the vans for our early departure. While we were packing the vans, a bunch of campers from Camp Wawbeek ran up to the recently built pirate ship and started to play on it. That was the most rewarding thing I've ever experienced in my life. Seeing these campers having a blast playing pirates or something related to it on something I had a hand in building is truly amazing. Also knowing the pirate ship will be used for years to come and bring joy to many kids puts the biggest smile on my face.
The long trip for Grand Island, Nebraska was ahead of us, a nice 10.5 hour car ride. We traveled from Wisconsin through the entire state of Iowa and then about half way through Nebraska to reach our destination of Grand Island. I personally have never been to Nebraska and the way we were greeted as a team at our sponsor dinner was remarkable. I felt like a rockstar arriving for a concert. There were people outside to greet us and to invite us inside for a sensational barbecue dinner. Following dinner, the sponsors took us to a local park that they made safe and accessible for people with disabilities. The park was filled with shoutouts to Pi Kappa Phi and Push America before it changed to the Ability Experience. The park contained a rectangular section that had Push America on it along with our Greek letters on the sidewalk next to a tree that a previous Build America team had planted. The park also had two other trees that had memorial stones that honored a former journey of hope member who sadly passed away and made a huge impact on families in Grand Island. The other memorial stone was for a daughter of one of our fantastic sponsors that made a great connection with Build America and Journey of Hope teams. Seeing these memorial stones really opened my eyes and made me realize the impact our Build America team has on families that have loved one with disabilities. I would like to thank our sponsors from Grand Island for the eye opening impact we make and the wonderful dinner.
Josh Reichert
Build America Team Member
Today we finished our pirate ship project for the campers at camp wawbeek! The feeling of looking at the completed project is ineffable. As the kids played, phantasmagoric beams illuminated their eyes. It has been an honor to serve these kids and this moment will stay with me forever.
I am so grateful that I have an opportunity to attend the summer program, Build America. I am grateful because the emotions I have felt on this trip will cascade into lifelong servitude and happiness. I love seeing the campers happy, they give me so much joy
Geno Oliva
Build America 2017
Today we got an extra thirty minutes of sleep and woke up at 7:30. From circle up we went straight to breakfast where I ate with Amante, who has been keeping us entertained all week. After that it was right back to work, as we needed to make good progress on the pirate ship as well as start a shed today. We worked on getting the cut list and the plans all ready until lunch, and after that I went with a handful of other guys to start the shed by the archery range.
After hours of dealing with the shed project, it was time for dinner and then programming. The camp had an outdoor variety show planned for the night, where we got to enjoy the talents of many campers. One of my favorite acts was put on by Austin, who put on a show full of basketball tricks. He spun it, changed fingers, and showed off all kinds of dribble skills. Another fun act was the singing of TNT by AC/DC, which our brother Matt joined in on, doing his best Angus Young impression. Finally, towards the end of the night one of the campers sang Don't Stop Believing by Journey, and the entire crowd was belting it out. I couldn't have wished for a better ending to the night.
Davin Newsome
Build America 2017
We want to share your accomplishments! Did your chapter just win Greek Week? Did you get a prestigious internship? Did you get married? Host an alumni event? Let us know with the quick form below and you could see your story on our website or in our next print issue of the Star & Lamp!
Submit News