South Jersey Man Ready to Bike Across America to Combat Disabilities

A Virginia Tech sophomore from Haddon Heights has been riding his bicycle between 40 and 100 miles each week in preparation for a trek across America to benefit people with disabilities, the Courier Post reports.

Lucas DeMenna has been training for nine months for the “Journey of Hope” ride, according to the report. The ride is made up exclusively of college students in his fraternity, and is part of The Ability Experience’s efforts to help those with disabilities.

The Ability Experience gives back to the community through different grants, including providing grants to local organizations that help people with disabilities on stops during its bike tours, according to the organization’s website.

The ride, which was first held in 1987, begins in San Francisco, California, on June 12, and concludes in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 13.

Team members will ride a total of 12,000 miles across 32 states, averaging about 75 miles a day. At the conclusion of each day’s ride, they will participate in activities that include dancing with a local group during a friendship visit, playing wheelchair basketball and performing puppet shows to educate children about those who have disabilities.

The fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi, has been dedicated to helping those with disabilities since 1977.

The attached image is a Patch file photo from a previous "Journey of Hope" ride.