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WesternCourier.com
Wednesday, September 11, 2019 - Vol. 120 Issue 10
@WesternCourier
Students reflect on summer of service By Marc Ramirez news editor
COURTESY OF KYLE RAMLOW
Three Western Illinois University students, leaders and members of Pi Kappa Phi lived a summer of service as they participated in a cross country bicycling philanthropy event. Kyle Ramlow, Justin Brown and Derek Lahey packed their bags and said goodbye to their families as they prepared to ride a bike from San Francisco to Washington D.C. The three seniors participated in the fraternity’s philanthropy event Journey of Hope, run through The Ability Experience. According to Ramlow, who served as the fraternity’s Philanthropy Chairman for the Spring 2019 semester, The Ability Experience was founded in 1976 by fraternity brother Thomas Sayre and was originally known as PUSH. PUSH had a couple meanings over the years, originally meaning Play Units for the Severely Handipcaped then later being changed
COURTESY OF DEREK LAHEY
to People Understanding the Severely Handicapped. The organization's name was even changed to Push America before receiving the current name The Ability Experience in 2014. “Now, every summer, members of Pi Kappa Phi cycle from Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle to Washington, D.C. while delivering a message of understanding,” theabilityexperiience.org reads. “This past summer our route, along with two others, stopped at organizations that share similar messages as to that of our philanthropy while promoting the abilities of all people,” Brown said. “By being inclusive and making a change in the way people perceive those with disabilities is truly the first step to making a difference. Disability truly doesn’t mean inability and that's the message we hope to share with the world.” The three Western students cycled and crewed alongside 23 other fraternity
brothers from all across the United States. Each participant pledged themselves to raise a minimum of $6,000 in efforts to present give grants to camps on their way across the country. When speaking with each participant, it became clear that the purpose of their summer wasn’t to better themselves or have something incredible they could say they did that summer, it was to create a community where the abilities of all people are recognized and valued. Lahey spoke about how he met a boy named Travis from Salt Lake City, UT. The two bonded over their love of NASCAR and the fact that they shared the same favorite driver, Kyle Busch, and had many other similarities, like how their favorite movie is Cars 3. “We would sit together at every event and meal over those two days in Utah,” Lahey said.
Journey of Hope page 2
COURTESY OF JUSTIN BROWN
Justin Brown, Derek Lahey and Kyle Ramlow reflect on their time spent traveling the country raising awareness and support of people with disabilities. The three completed the Journey of Hope, a national philanthropy event run through The Ability Experience and their fraternity Pi Kappa Phi.