Journey of Hope cyclists head east after two day stop in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - What did you do on your summer vacation? If riding your bike from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. wasn't on your list it will be tough to top!

Thirty young men from The Ability Experience, the philanthropy arm of Phi Kappa Phi fraternity, left San Francisco five days ago, and have been cycling while fundraising and meeting people along the way since. They'll be on the road for 63 days.

Friday is day six, and they are finishing up a big breakfast provided by Hope Lutheran Church in South Lake Tahoe before riding bikes to Carson City. Most days of their trip average 70 miles of riding so Friday's ride of 35 miles is a short one before heading off to Fallon, and beyond. Their longest daily ride will be 120 miles.

While in South Lake Tahoe the team was treated to dinner by the Odd Fellows at the Hope Lutheran Church on Wednesday, followed by the Moose Lodge cooking dinner on Thursday.

Members of the South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge at 961 Eloise Avenue provided a scrumptious meal for them after they had some rest and relaxation on the lawn playing cornhole and horseshoes. The young men were very appreciative of the amazing dinner of lasagne, salad, garlic bread, and dessert put on by Mary Luckel, Kelly Townsend, Dana Boatwright, and Moose helpers. Mary Luckel said, "The men really enjoyed their visit to our 'Friendly Little Lodge' and the hospitality shown to them by our members. We loved hearing from each participant, as they introduced themselves and shared a "fun fact" before they went on their way."

Tahoe Valley Campground provided welcomed showers. The 30 team members called Hope Lutheran their overnight home for two days, sleeping on the pews and enjoying the hearty breakfast that sent them off on the next leg of their journey.

The cyclists on the team that stopped in South Lake Tahoe are from all over the country, with college students from such states as Oregon, Idaho, Illinois, New York, Florida, South Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Utah, Arizona, and California.

Project Manager Shaw Guidi, a recent graduate from Western Illinois, leads the group in their daily activities. Of the 30 team members, seven are support drivers and 23 are cycling. Before each day's ride, they meet in a circle and dedicate the ride. Yesterday was for Cystic Fibrosis and today is for Scoliosis.

At Friday's circle, the church hosts were presented with shirts from Guidi.

"It's been a blessing to have you," said Hope Lutheran Pastor Diana Turner. She and her husband Ted made sure the boys got fed by the different local groups this week as well as packing their support cars with food before the sendoff.

The Ability Experience was started in 1976 when Pi Kappa Phi leaders wanted to mobilize the workforce, the fraternity’s undergraduate members, to work collectively to promote a greater understanding of people with disabilities.

Journey of Hope is one program through the Ability Challenge, and this year there are teams on the North Route (the one in town), and the TransAmerica route, from Spokane, Wash. to Washington, D.C.

The public can follow their journey on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/abilityexperience and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/abilityexp. Donations can be accepted along the route as well as on the team's social media pages.

To date, The Ability Experience has raised over $15 million to benefit people with disabilities and organizations dedicated to their service.
Since 1988, over 1,500 volunteers have participated in their three programs, Journey of Hope, Gear Up Florida, and Build America. Together, these events raise over $600,000 each year.

Since 1989, The Ability Experience’s construction projects through Ability Camps, have provided over 600,000 volunteer hours to help renovate over 100 facilities serving people with disabilities.