Push America, Pi Kappa Phi's National Philanthropy

     Pi Kappa Phi is unique in the fact that we are the only national fraternity to have our own Philanthropy. Founded in 1977 Thomas H. Sayre, it began as "Play Units for the Severely Handicapped", changed to "People Understanding the Severely Handicapped" and finally transformed one last time into Push America. Our national philanthropy encourages empathy and not sympathy towards handicapped individuals, inspiring brothers to reach out and give back to their community. The national organization has several events that brothers can participate in, ranging from smaller service projects to extended ventures. Brothers of the Delta Alpha chapter have a long history of giving back to Push America.

     There are two main cycling events hosted by Push America: Gear Up Florida and Journey of Hope. Gear Up Florida is two-week cycling trip through Florida to raise money for Push America. Journey of Hope, started in 1987 by Bruce Rogers, is a summer-long bike trek across America that allows brothers to raise money and awareness about Push America. There are three routes brothers can bike across, all of which end in Washington D.C. Many brothers of Delta Alpha have participated in this event, raising tens of thousands of dollars for Push America.


     There are other various service projects in which brothers of Pi Kappa Phi can participate. Chapters can participate in AccessABILITY projects which are designed to help make homes wheelchair-accessible. Give-A-Push Weekend and Push Camp are longer service projects in which brothers travel to a location to build handicapped-accessible buildings and equipment. The largest service project is Build America, in which brothers spend their summer travelling around the country and building handicapped-accessible equipment in various locations. Many brothers from our chapter have also participated in this event, helping to build much needed accessibility equipment.