Four thousand, two hundred seventy miles, ten weeks and one bike humbled Brandon Ratner, who pedaled from coast to coast, discovering the philanthropic roots of Greek life.
Ratner, a junior business accounting major at California State University, Long Beach, completed his first Trans-America route in the summer of 2014 through Journey of Hope, a philanthropy program for his fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi. The trip began in Seattle, Washington and ended in Washington, D.C.
“The purpose was to ride bikes across the country to raise funds and awareness for disabled people who were scattered through various facilities, which we would ride to every day,” Ratner said.
After riding about 80 miles per day, the 19 cyclists and nine crewmembers he traveled with took part in friendship visits. Ratner said that the team would stay at the facilities, eat dinner, exchange stories and play games during their time with the disabled children and teens.
“They counted the days down from Christmas until we arrived. They wanted my autograph. It was a priceless feeling,” Ratner said. “The smiles these people exuded made every tough mile or hour on the bike so worth it.”
During one friendship visit, Ratner built a connection with a teenager who had to give up playing football after an accident that caused a brain injury.
“It affected his whole course in life, but he promised us that we inspired him so much that he was going to ride his bike cross-country one day,” Ratner said.
Out of all three Journey of Hope routes, Ratner was the only rider to not miss one day or mile of biking. However, he said it wasn’t an easy task.
The team was about 2,000 miles into the trip when Ratner’s knee began to swell up, making it difficult for him to pedal. Ratner got off his bike and asked himself if he could ride 30 more miles, knowing he would regret his decision if he stopped.
“How could I quit when I’m riding for people who can’t quit?” Ratner said.
Despite the setback, Ratner continued to pedal on with his team feeling confident. Ratner remembered the team chemistry that kept him and his fellow bikers going, and he said that some of the best conversations of their lives were on their bikes.
“Even though we all came from different parts of the country bearing different views in politics, sports and hobbies,” Brian Bott, a member of Pi Kappa Phi from George Mason University and Ratner’s teammate, said. “We were all there for the common cause to help raise money and spread awareness for people with disabilities, which instantly brought us closer together.”
The living situations at the end of a long day weren’t the most ideal, but Ratner said it humbled him and his teammates. Ratner and his team weathered through cold nights on the grounds of The Salvation Army, YMCA and churches.
“The most interesting night was in Du Bois, Wyoming. I remember falling asleep underneath a church pew in my sleeping bag and realizing the incredibly unique trip I was participating in,” Ratner said.
Although Ratner was states away from his family and friends, he made sure to contact them whenever he could find service or Wi-Fi. Ratner’s father, Howard, surprised him halfway through the trip in Denver, Colorado, which Ratner said was a good morale booster.
“I could see how well he was doing,” Howard said. “[I could see] how much he loved his friendship visits, how much he loved all of his teammates and how much fun he was having.”
Although the Journey of Hope ride was one of the most challenging experiences Ratner said he has ever had, he promised, “I have not been as happy as I was last summer.”
Ratner said fraternities are rarely celebrated for the positive impacts they make on the community through philanthropy, yet philanthropy was a main reason for why he decided to join Pi Kappa Phi.
“For many of [Pi Kappa Phi members], the philanthropic efforts of the Fraternity is one of the most important aspects of the organization and is the reason a lot of us decided to join,” Ratner said. “As brothers, we can be the change we wish by raising funds and awareness for organizations in our community.”
This summer, Ratner will travel with a Pi Kappa Phi brother to guide and assist blind and visually impaired athletes on a climb up the highest peaks of the San Juan Mountains.
“We want to continue to prove to the world that the only disability in life is a bad attitude,” Ratner said.