Fraternity cyclists from Pi Kappa Phi are served lunch at the Children's Therapy Clinic on July 31, 2025. The servers are Sherrie DeBord of Cross Lanes (in foreground), Ashley Mason of Hurricane and Aileen Stacy of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.Â
Fraternity cyclists from Pi Kappa Phi are served lunch at the Children's Therapy Clinic on July 31, 2025. The servers are Sherrie DeBord of Cross Lanes (in foreground), Ashley Mason of Hurricane and Aileen Stacy of ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.Â
A team of fraternity brothers cycling across the country to raise awareness and support for people with disabilities made a stop in Cross Lanes on July 31, visiting the Children’s Therapy Clinic (CTC) as part of their 4,000-mile journey.
The cyclists are part of the Journey of Hope TransAmerica team, one of two groups riding coast to coast this summer as part of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity’s philanthropic initiative, The Ability Experience. The TransAmerica team began their ride in San Francisco on June 3 and are set to finish in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 9.
The 31-member team is spending 67 days on the road. Their mission is not just physical but deeply personal: raising funds and promoting inclusion for individuals with disabilities.
The Journey of Hope is one of several national programs run by The Ability Experience, Pi Kappa Phi’s nonprofit arm focused on promoting the abilities of all people.
On Thursday, the cyclists pedaled into Cross Lanes after a morning ride from Huntington to visit the Children’s Therapy Clinic, a nonprofit that provides occupational and speech therapy to children, particularly those from low-income families or with limited insurance coverage.
“They have come to CTC every year since 2006, except for the COVID years,†said Valicia Leary, executive director of the clinic. “They raise money along the way and give grants to different organizations like ours. But more than that, they raise awareness.â€
During their visit, the cyclists participated in one of their signature “friendship visits,†interactive events with individuals served by local organizations. These visits often include games, dancing, and conversation, creating lasting memories for both the riders and the communities they meet.
CTC provided lunch for the team before they continued on to ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä, where they spent the night at the Martin Luther King Jr. Center. On Friday, they resumed their journey, cycling toward Beckley.
Jack Benedetto, the team’s ride coordinator and a recent graduate from SUNY Brockport in New York, said the journey has been both challenging and rewarding.
“One of our goals is to support these local organizations along the way,†Benedetto said. “We stop at about 40 different places like CTC during the trip. These people are working day in and day out to support their communities. We’re just here for a couple hours, but hopefully we leave something behind that lasts.â€
One of the riders, Anson Wright, is a junior at West Virginia University studying education. This is his first year doing the ride, and he said the experience has been eye-opening.
“I know two guys from my chapter who did this last year, and they had nothing but good things to say,†Wright said. “Every day’s an adventure. We average 75 miles a day taking back roads and small highways, seeing new terrain and new people. The real magical part is the friendship visits — those are the moments that stick with you.â€
Leary said the clinic, which has an annual operating budget of around $300,000, serves about 80 children each year. “We’re a nonprofit that relies on grants, donations, fundraisers, and we’re also a United Way agency,†she said. “This year, we’re actually on track to do more therapy visits than last year.â€
