Though many ASU students will travel this summer, global-health freshman Trevor Mernitz will bike across the country to raise awareness for people with disabilities.
Called the Journey of Hope, the trek — from Seattle to Washington, D.C — is more than 4,000 miles and will take about 2 1/2 months to complete.
The trip is a part of Push America, the national philanthropy of the fraternity Pi Kappa Phi, and according to the Push America Web site, current members as well as alumni have been cycling across the country to benefit people with disabilities since one rider did it in 1988. It is the largest fraternal fundraising and awareness event of its kind.
Mernitz said his fraternity is the only one on the ASU campus that has its own philanthropic organization. The main focus of the journey, Mernitz said, isn’t the riding — it is what he will do with Push America throughout the trip. At each stop, after about 75 miles of biking, the riders will conduct “friendship visits,” meeting with local groups that support people with disabilities, putting on puppet shows to educate children about disabilities or playing with children with disabilities as part of the organization’s Best Buddies program.
“It will be amazing and unreal,” Mernitz said. “The whole experience, being in the wild, starting fresh, the physical demands, everything ... it’s going to be incredible.”
Mernitz said before this year, he had never really biked a long distance before, but he was inspired after a conversation last semester with a fraternity brother who had made the ride before.
“What sold me was that I have a step-sister who has disabilities,” he said. “This ride will make a difference [for her].”
Mernitz said he knew his level-headed father, Craig, would be the hardest to convince. So instead of simply asking, Mernitz mounted his bicycle and rode 23 miles from the Tempe campus to his family’s Phoenix home in the rain. The ride took Mernitz four hours.
When his father asked him why he rode his bike, Mernitz said he answered him by “popping the question.”
Craig Mernitz said the entire family supports his son.
“I am very proud of Trevor for taking this step forward and being proactive in trying to benefit the community,” he said. “The trip itself is not just a journey of physical hills and valleys ... it will be full of mental exhaustion. But the camaraderie he will form with the others will be long-lasting, and he’ll really appreciate making this commitment to the disabled community.”
While Craig said he supports his son’s decision to bike across the nation, he is most worried about the cost and lack of funds raised so far.
Each of the 100 riders needs to raise at least $5,000 toward the $500,000 total to be able to participate in the event. Mernitz already paid $1,500 out-of-pocket for his bicycle. So far, Mernitz’s total fundraising is at $2,078.
“He still has a lot of money to raise,” Mernitz’s father said, “but I think he’s made a strong effort to get his cause out there.”
Mernitz said he also worries about his funding, especially since he won’t be working all summer. However, he said if he has to put the rest of the fundraising on a credit card, he will because this trip is “the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Dave Knavel, director of Team Services for Push America, said he knows exactly how Mernitz is feeling. Knavel has made the trek twice before, and he said it’s a journey that is indescribable.
“You grow so much as a person,” Knavel said. “You are challenging yourself everyday and watching others challenge themselves as well. You get tired but then you ride into that town and see who and what you are riding for.”
Reach the reporter at kdaoust@asu.edu.
