Friends, Family, Brothers, Donors, Fellow Bikers, Professors, and Volunteers,
First - thank you all for stopping by. This blog will be the home of my ride this summer with the Journey of Hope, a transcontinental bike tour supporting people across the United States with disabilities.
To give a little background: the Journey of Hope, started in 1987, is an annual ride sponsored by Push America and Pi Kappa Phi in support of people across the United States with disabilities. Cycling with a group of 30 Pi Kappa Phi brothers from chapters across the nation, we will be stopping at over 50 locations between our start in San Francisco on May 28th and our end in Washington D.C. on August 2nd. Over the course of the trip we will volunteer our time at Special Olympics events, camps, centers for the disabled, and other adaptive entities aiding efforts, raising awareness for the cause, and most importantly, improving the lives of those with disabilities.
For the Dukies and Coloradans out there, the ride has a special connection. The founder is originally from Colorado (now living in Evergreen), and was a Duke Law graduate. His daughter is now a rising sophomore at Duke. For the North Carolinians, Push America was started at our Kappa chapter at the other school (UNC Chapel Hill).
My impetus for postponing post-graduate plans for the ride is both personal and altruistic. In volunteering in both Colorado and North Carolina, I have always been inspired by the drive and fervor I’ve experienced from those with whom I’ve worked. Most importantly, I think of my friends: those who I admire for the hope they bring to others, by working each day to live lives that we too often take for granted. In so doing, they continually redefine what is possible - not only for those with disabilities - but for anyone. For examples, I look to Pikapp brother Jay Ruckelshaus and his organization The Ramp Less Traveled, or a close family friend who will be returning as a teacher to Cherry Creek High School despite a recent accident.
The trip has three separate routes, each comprising between 30-35 brothers, bringing the total reach of the ride to over 40 million people. I will be riding on the North route. See the map below and the links to the right for more information on the ride, Push America, our itinerary, and my fundraising page and video. Every year each brother participating raises funds to contribute to our $650,000 goal which are allocated in grants along the way to the organizations with whom we work. All donations are fully tax-deductible. I have pledged to contribute at least $8,000 to this goal and could still use help. If you have not already, please see my fundraising website found here. Please also watch my fundraising video found here.
For a snapshot of which organizations we will be working with along the way, please see the list at the end of this post, broken down by city. Though not complete, it does give a majority of the confirmed stops, many of which have been linked to the Journey for quite a long time.
Secondly, let me thank all of you for your incredible support, generosity, and advice. Specifically to those who have donated - I feel so lucky to have your help. It does not go unnoticed. I assure you that it will make a great difference in the countless lives we will reach this summer. For those who have taken time to simply spread the word, thank you as well. I'd also like to specially thank Durham Cycles on 9th Street for their help and advice for the summer, and Mike Osorio, Mu Chapter's most recent JOH rider, for his motivational words. Additionally, I'd like to particularly thank Adaptive Adventures, Bridge II Sports, and Ronald McDonald House Durham for the eye opening experiences their programs have provided (along with countless others).
One of my favorite parts of preparing for the trip has been learning about the amazing things others have done to devote their time to make their communities (or even the world) a better place. While I couldn't possibly list them all here and now, I am motivated knowing that those sacrifices are worthwhile, and that the vast majority truly do make a difference.
And that said, I arrive at the most important goal of this summer. I hold that one of the most critical stimulants for change is awareness itself. I look back on a recent trip to Ecuador with my brother. As an engineer, I have sadly forgotten much of my prior abilities in Spanish. That trip made me newly aware of what I was missing out on - the billions of people across the world with whom I can't communicate, along with the art, culture, and ideas I neglect, not out of malice, but out of naivety.
From all of you as you follow my journey, I ask but one thing - embrace the differences around you for the new perspectives they bring. Learn from others so that we may make the future a more accepting, more empathetic, and more happy place. Embrace challenge with open arms, for both the benefits of hard experience and for the awareness it brings to yourself and others.
This summer, we will continue to redefine the way people view people with disabilities and fraternities.
With the departure only a few days away, I am excited. I board a flight from DIA to San Francisco International tomorrow afternoon. I'm finishing up my packing and unpacking tonight, some final family time, along with some last minute training, some of which I've been lucky enough to do with Gordon Dolven, a close friend from high school who will be riding on JOH this summer. For training, along with all of the rides this summer, you can follow my Strava page, which feeds on the right. For the blog, I will write as often as possible (along with a possible video blog...) so consider following the page through email (also on the right) so you can get notifications as they come in.
Additionally - as an open offer - if you want a postcard from anywhere along the route, send me an email with your name, address, and the desired stop on our itinerary. I'll do my best to find something memorable! For those along the route, feel free to get in touch - I'd love to see you.
Finally - what's with the name? With Every Push - not only is it a reflection of the actions of this summer (biking and pushing) as well as the organization (Push America), "with every push" becomes a motivation. With each push will come many things, many of which I've expressed already. With every push we hope to bring change, hope, happiness, and camaraderie. Certainly there are many I haven't even thought of or are even in the mindset to consider. Uncovering these are what the summer is for. With every push.
Thank you all, and until next time,
Scott Martin
Go Duke!
VOLUNTEERING STOPS:
First - thank you all for stopping by. This blog will be the home of my ride this summer with the Journey of Hope, a transcontinental bike tour supporting people across the United States with disabilities.
To give a little background: the Journey of Hope, started in 1987, is an annual ride sponsored by Push America and Pi Kappa Phi in support of people across the United States with disabilities. Cycling with a group of 30 Pi Kappa Phi brothers from chapters across the nation, we will be stopping at over 50 locations between our start in San Francisco on May 28th and our end in Washington D.C. on August 2nd. Over the course of the trip we will volunteer our time at Special Olympics events, camps, centers for the disabled, and other adaptive entities aiding efforts, raising awareness for the cause, and most importantly, improving the lives of those with disabilities.
For the Dukies and Coloradans out there, the ride has a special connection. The founder is originally from Colorado (now living in Evergreen), and was a Duke Law graduate. His daughter is now a rising sophomore at Duke. For the North Carolinians, Push America was started at our Kappa chapter at the other school (UNC Chapel Hill).
My impetus for postponing post-graduate plans for the ride is both personal and altruistic. In volunteering in both Colorado and North Carolina, I have always been inspired by the drive and fervor I’ve experienced from those with whom I’ve worked. Most importantly, I think of my friends: those who I admire for the hope they bring to others, by working each day to live lives that we too often take for granted. In so doing, they continually redefine what is possible - not only for those with disabilities - but for anyone. For examples, I look to Pikapp brother Jay Ruckelshaus and his organization The Ramp Less Traveled, or a close family friend who will be returning as a teacher to Cherry Creek High School despite a recent accident.
The trip has three separate routes, each comprising between 30-35 brothers, bringing the total reach of the ride to over 40 million people. I will be riding on the North route. See the map below and the links to the right for more information on the ride, Push America, our itinerary, and my fundraising page and video. Every year each brother participating raises funds to contribute to our $650,000 goal which are allocated in grants along the way to the organizations with whom we work. All donations are fully tax-deductible. I have pledged to contribute at least $8,000 to this goal and could still use help. If you have not already, please see my fundraising website found here. Please also watch my fundraising video found here.
For a snapshot of which organizations we will be working with along the way, please see the list at the end of this post, broken down by city. Though not complete, it does give a majority of the confirmed stops, many of which have been linked to the Journey for quite a long time.
Secondly, let me thank all of you for your incredible support, generosity, and advice. Specifically to those who have donated - I feel so lucky to have your help. It does not go unnoticed. I assure you that it will make a great difference in the countless lives we will reach this summer. For those who have taken time to simply spread the word, thank you as well. I'd also like to specially thank Durham Cycles on 9th Street for their help and advice for the summer, and Mike Osorio, Mu Chapter's most recent JOH rider, for his motivational words. Additionally, I'd like to particularly thank Adaptive Adventures, Bridge II Sports, and Ronald McDonald House Durham for the eye opening experiences their programs have provided (along with countless others).
One of my favorite parts of preparing for the trip has been learning about the amazing things others have done to devote their time to make their communities (or even the world) a better place. While I couldn't possibly list them all here and now, I am motivated knowing that those sacrifices are worthwhile, and that the vast majority truly do make a difference.
And that said, I arrive at the most important goal of this summer. I hold that one of the most critical stimulants for change is awareness itself. I look back on a recent trip to Ecuador with my brother. As an engineer, I have sadly forgotten much of my prior abilities in Spanish. That trip made me newly aware of what I was missing out on - the billions of people across the world with whom I can't communicate, along with the art, culture, and ideas I neglect, not out of malice, but out of naivety.
From all of you as you follow my journey, I ask but one thing - embrace the differences around you for the new perspectives they bring. Learn from others so that we may make the future a more accepting, more empathetic, and more happy place. Embrace challenge with open arms, for both the benefits of hard experience and for the awareness it brings to yourself and others.
This summer, we will continue to redefine the way people view people with disabilities and fraternities.
With the departure only a few days away, I am excited. I board a flight from DIA to San Francisco International tomorrow afternoon. I'm finishing up my packing and unpacking tonight, some final family time, along with some last minute training, some of which I've been lucky enough to do with Gordon Dolven, a close friend from high school who will be riding on JOH this summer. For training, along with all of the rides this summer, you can follow my Strava page, which feeds on the right. For the blog, I will write as often as possible (along with a possible video blog...) so consider following the page through email (also on the right) so you can get notifications as they come in.
Additionally - as an open offer - if you want a postcard from anywhere along the route, send me an email with your name, address, and the desired stop on our itinerary. I'll do my best to find something memorable! For those along the route, feel free to get in touch - I'd love to see you.
Finally - what's with the name? With Every Push - not only is it a reflection of the actions of this summer (biking and pushing) as well as the organization (Push America), "with every push" becomes a motivation. With each push will come many things, many of which I've expressed already. With every push we hope to bring change, hope, happiness, and camaraderie. Certainly there are many I haven't even thought of or are even in the mindset to consider. Uncovering these are what the summer is for. With every push.
Thank you all, and until next time,
Scott Martin
Go Duke!
VOLUNTEERING STOPS:
- SF- Pomeroy Recreation and Rehabilitation Center
- Napa- California Special Olympics
- Sacramento- Southside Arts Center
- Jackson- The arc of Amador and Calaveras Counties. Community Compass
- Carson City- Children’s Museum of Northern Nevada, Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada, People First- Nevada Chapter
- Fallon- Homboldt Shredders
- Salt Lake City- Camp Kostopulos Dream Foundation, TRAILS, Children’s Tumor Foundation- Utah Chapter
- Park City- National Ability Center
- Craig- Horizons, Boys and Girls Club of Craig
- Steamboat Springs- Horizons
- Empire- Easter Seals Colorado- Rocky Mountain Village
- Denver- Pedal for Pennies
- Fort Morgan- Fort Morgan Elks Club, Fort Morgan Public Library
- Wray- Wray Recreation and Activity Center
- Grand Island- The Arc of Central Nebraska
- Lincoln- The Arc of Lincoln
- Omaha- Nebraska Spina Bfida, The Ollie Webb Center
- Marshalltown- The Arc of Marshall County
- Cedar Rapids- The Arc of East Central Iowa
- Iowa City- Arc of Southeast Iowa
- Davenport- City of Davenport Parks and Recreation
- Rockford- Rockford Recreation Indoor Sports Center
- Milwaukee- Girls First, Independence First, Moms of Hope, Spina Bfida Wisconsin, Gaennslen School, Milwaukee Center for Independence, Petit National Center, Nicolet High School
- Northbrook- GLASA (Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association), North Suburban YMCA
- Chicago- Victor C. Neumann Center, Envision
- South Bend- Chasing Dreams
- Kalamazoo- Community Advocate at the Arc of Kalamazoo
- Ann Arbor- Eisenhower Center, PEAC (Pedaling to Educate All Cyclists)
- Toledo- Sunshine Foundation
- Sandusky- Ability Works
- Cleveland- Cleveland Children’s Clinic
- Niles- Fairhaven Foundation
- Pittsburgh- Three Rivers Rowing Association, Woodlands Foundation, CLASS (Community Living and Support Services)
- Bethesda- Potomac Center
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