On a clear, Thursday morning, a pack of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity members trekked across the Long Bridge on Highway 95 in search of one goal: to bless the clients of Panhandle Special Needs with a fun-filled afternoon of dancing, ice cream and fellowship for their annual friendship visit.

“Our clients love this event; they look forward to it all year,” Panhandle Special Needs executive director Trinity Nicholson said. “For the clients, this is a big deal. Some of them are pen pals, some of them stay in touch with the riders and develop relationships outside of here. It’s a different set of riders and volunteers every year, so it’s interesting to see who shows up.”

Dubbed the Journey of Hope, 23 Pi Kappa Phi members will cycle from Seattle to Washington D.C. this summer to spread awareness and raise funds for individuals with disabilities. Along the way, the riders learn about different disabilities and make routine visits to special needs centers and groups in order to brighten their days with a myriad of group activities. Panhandle Special Needs has been a routine stop for the northern route; the riders made friendship visits in Sandpoint in 2016 and 2017. The friendship between Panhandle Special Needs and the Journey of Hope riders goes both ways.

“As you go across the country, you see different communities and what they do to inspire people with disabilities,” Rob Raesemann, a Jacksonville, Florida resident who has made several cross-country rides with the Ability Experience, said. “It’s always nice when see a place like [Panhandle Special Needs] where people are loved and you can see the care that goes into everything.”

Although most of the riders had met before they arrived at their starting point in Seattle, there were some commonalities within the group aside from Pi Kappa Phi membership. The majority of the group consisted of college sophomores and juniors Ball State University sent a quartet of riders and volunteers and the University of North Carolina sent a contingent — including class of 2019 graduate Tyler Kelly, who already has a business consulting job lined up in Washington D.C. but chose to put the workforce on hold for one last adventure.

“The coolest thing about this whole program is that it gives so much more meaning to my fraternity experience,” Kelly said. “I made a lot of friends through it, met a lot of people and had a lot of resources on campus because of my fraternity. But this is a whole new dimension. I think that 20 years from now when I think about my college career and my fraternity career, this is going to be the first thing I think of — and I’m only 10 days in. I can only imagine what I’ll say about this once we reach Washington D.C.”

Kelly, who at well over six feet tall towered over almost all but a few people on the dance floor later that afternoon, was one of many riders who enthusiastically danced along with the Panhandle Special Needs clients during the dance party, which brought out smiles, laughter and plenty of sweat as over 50 riders and patients packed the dance-floor. While not everyone danced the whole time, those who didn’t chatted with some of the riders as they enjoyed ice cream sandwiches from an ice cream truck parked outside.

“What I love about them is that they do some upfront training to prepare them to interact with our people,” Nicholson said. “And they leave no one out. If there’s a client in the corner by themselves, then there’s going to be a rider who goes over and sits by them. They’re really great about including everyone.”

Even though the Journey of Hope riders’ visit was brief, the kindness and care they showed towards the clients made the afternoon a visit to remember. While the riders are currently making their way through Montana, Panhandle Special Needs staff and clientele expressed gratefulness for the Ability Experience’s mission of promoting awareness and support for people with disabilities.

“They’re here for the client,” Nicholson said. “They’re focused on the individuals who get services instead of being here to fix something, get something or to donate money. These people are here just to engage with the person, talk to the clients, visit them, acknowledge them and to appreciate them. It’s so lovely.”

The Ability Experience, which aims to raise funds and public awareness on behalf of people with disabilities, organizes Journey of Hope and two other large service projects each summer. All 23 Pi Kappa Phi riders were required to raise $6,000 to participate in the trip; in addition to several corporate sponsorships, the 2019 Journey of Hope will raise more than $650,000 for people with disabilities across the nation, according to the group’s press release.