Riding a bike from the west to east coast may seem an uninviting prospect to many, but for River Forest native Adam Bujnowski, the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in Journey of Hope provided an outlet to expand his volunteer efforts within the disabled community in a really big way.
Bujnowski, an industrial design major at Virginia Tech, got involved with the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity’s Delta Alpha chapter in 2014. After hearing stories from former Journey of Hope participants, he made the decision to ride across the country this summer.
“When Adam told me he wanted to ride across the country, my first thought was, ‘yeah, right.’ Some of his buddies pointed out that Adam won’t even ride his bike from River Forest to Oak Park. But, I thought that if he could get through the training and still wanted to do it, good for him. And he did, he’s resilient. It’s a different way to spend the summer, but I’m sure he’ll never forget it,” said Mara Bujnowski’s, Adam’s mother.
A typical day for the Journey of Hope’s north route team begins at 5 a.m. with preparing the bikes and breakfast. Afterward, the group teams up to discuss the day’s ride and learn about the “disability of the day,” which, according to Bujnowski, is a way for the team to “constantly be learning about the types of people we may meet and the struggles they are faced with.”
The team averages 75 miles per day, but can reach up to 125 miles – meaning, the group typically rides between eight and nine hours daily. Riding is broken up with friendship visits, which have provided a channel to connect with and donate to non-profit organizations dedicated to serving the disabled community.
“Everyone thinks that the highlights of the trip are the scenery and seeing the country from a bike seat, but what’s really amazing about this journey is when you have those 100-mile rides; when you hit a wall and can’t remember why you’re putting yourself through so much pain and stress, but then you get to the friendship visit. The smiles on the people’s faces that we meet and the positive attitudes they have even though they’re going through so many daily struggles gives you so much joy that you forget all about the struggles you had on the bike that day,” Bujnowski said.
The fundraising minimum for Journey of Hope participants is $5,500, but Bujnowski set out to exceed that with his initial goal of $7,500. With help from family and friends, Bujnowski has surpassed that amount, raising approximately $10,500. Bujnowski’s team’s goal is to raise $650,000, and so far has received more than $500,000 in donations. The Journey of Hope team that raises the most money is afforded the opportunity to ride first into Washington, D.C. for the finale. To help Adam’s team reach that goal, visit http://support.abilityexperience.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1152855&pg=personal&fr_id=1530 to make a donation.
With roughly three-quarters of the trip completed, the north route team stopped for a planned visit in Chicago; allowing Bujnowski time to meet up with his friends and family before continuing the ride eastward.
“Riding through Chicago and being able to take these roads that I call home with my team has been one of the highlights of this trip. Being able to see my family again after everything I’ve gone through is unbelievable. It makes me want to come back here so I can continue to spread awareness for people with disabilities and teach my friends and family all the valuable lessons that I’ve learned from them,” Bujnowski said.
One of the reasons Bujnowski joined Pi Kappa Phi was because of the philanthropic aspects of the group. In past semesters, he served as the member educator, and in the fall, will be on the executive board of his fraternity’s chapter acting as chaplain.
After years of experience volunteering with disabled individuals throughout River Forest and Oak Park, Bujnowksi has been able to use the transformative experience of Journey of Hope to change the lives of those he has met on the road, and in turn, has had a life-changing experience.
“Not everyone has to ride across America to give a helping hand – just a little bit of your time and energy goes a long way in supporting this cause,” said Bujnowski.