Wednesday and Thursday, June 26th and 27th, a team of cyclists participating in the 26th Journey of Hope will arrive in Casper as part of a nine-week, 4,000-mile cycling event across the country to raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities.

The team will arrive at 2:00 p.m. at Kelly Walsh High School after a 100 mile ride from Shoshoni. Tomorrow evening at 5:00 p.m., the team will have a Friendship Visit and dinner with NOWCAP Services  The dinner is scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm on Wednesday, the 26th in the Day Hab building at 345 N. Walsh Dr. and the Friendship Visit will take place concurrently and following dinner till approximately 7:00 p.m. On Thursday the 27th the group will have a Friendship visit with the ARC of Natrona County at 5:00 pm.

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 Seattle and ending in Washington, D.C. on August 5.

At stops across the country, the three routes (North, South and TransAmerica) will distribute grants directly to assist organizations in serving people with disabilities. For the 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. 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 36th anniversary and Journey of Hope’s 26th. 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 over $15 million to date and continue to be on the cutting edge of the disability movement.

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