They made two stops June 21 in the Parker area: they had lunch at the Buckskin Fire Station, and they had dinner and stayed overnight at the Parker Community/Senior Center. The Journey of Hope is a major project of The Ability Experience, the charitable organization of Pi Kappa Phi.
The organization was known as Push America until 2014. The spokesman for the team visiting Parker, Pat Lynch, said the name was changed as a better reflection of what they are all about. The Journey of Hope has been stopping in Parker for several years now. Lynch said they had already raised $556,000 this year for organizations that assist and work with people with disabilities. There are three teams making the trip across America. They start in Long Beach, Calif., San Francisco and Seattle. All three teams are scheduled to reach Washington, D.C. Aug. 8. There are more than 100 riders and crew members. To qualify for the team, each rider must raise at least $5,500. The three teams will cover a total of 32 states and 12,000 miles of biking. Each of the riders will average 75 miles per day.
The team that visited Parker was the Southern Team. They have riders and crew from across the nation, including Washington, Texas, New York, Ohio, California and Michigan. They started in Long Beach, Calif. June 12. Lynch said their trip has taken them through Barstow, Calif., Pahrump, Nev., Las Vegas and Lake Havasu City. Stops after Parker include Wickenburg, Tempe, Dallas, and Atlanta. They’ll head through the Carolinas and Virginia to Washington.