A recent Elon University graduate and two current students hope to raise awareness about Americans with disabilities when they participate in “Journey of Hope.”
Kevin Burrows ’02, from Pittsburgh, will join juniors David Henkel of Roanoke, Va., and Adam Lentz of Lilburn, Ga., in the event, a 63-day, 3,900-mile bike tour which begins June 2 in San Francisco and concludes Aug. 4 in Washington, D.C.
Burrows will be a rider, while Henkel and Lentz will serve as members of the support crew, assisting riders with meals, safety, equipment repairs and other logistics.
Burrows and Henkel will be part of the North team, which will travel across the northern Rockies, the upper Midwest and the Northeast. Lentz will join the South team, which will scale the southern Rockies, cross Texas and wind its way through the Southeast. The team will pass through Greensboro, just 20 miles from the Elon campus, on its way to Washington. Approximately 70 students from American colleges and universities will take part in the trip.
To prepare for the trip, Burrows says he has been riding approximately 40 miles per day, 4-5 days per week. During “Journey of Hope,” riders will log about 75 miles each day. Participants will stop in cities and towns along the way, making presentations to civic groups, schools and churches to raise awareness about the special needs of those with disabilities.
“Journey of Hope” is a philanthropic effort of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity that supports Push America, a private, non-profit organization which serves the needs of disabled people. Since it was founded in 1979, Push America has received more than $7 million from Pi Kappa Phi. Burrows, Henkel and Lentz are all members of the fraternity.