Today we are traveling 50 miles to Gainesville from Ocala Florida. I really enjoy waking up before the sun rises and knowing I have a purpose for the day! Today was a very different day because it was raining cats and dogs. Safety was our priority, so the crew set out before the cyclists to make sure that turns were marked. The cyclists looked at the rain as a positive and saw it as a nice break from the heat. When we got to our friendship visit at the Arc of Alachula County, the rain didn’t dampen the attitudes of the team or the clients. While at the friendship visit I met a boy named Kirby, who has Down syndrome but that did not stop him from showing off his amazing dance skills. He was a even bigger UF fan (Go Gators!) The hardest time was saying goodbye to the clients. In the beginning the trip most of us team member thought our purpose was to impact the lives of the clients we are visiting but on the contrary the clients have impacted all of us more then anyone will know!
– Danny Diep (University of Texas at Tyler)