About 20 young men stopped by Vicksburg Friday in the midst of their two-month, 3,700-mile journey from California to the nation’s capital.

Crew member Patrick Lynch explained the men are members of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, and the trip is one leg of the Journey of Hope, which is put on by the fraternity’s national philanthropy, The Ability Experience.

“The whole cause that we work for is the differently abled and kind of bringing awareness and funds for people with disabilities, both intellectual disabilities and developmental,” he said. “The Journey of Hope is a cross-country cycling ride, so we’re the south route.”

Lynch said the crew of the south route left Long Beach, Calif., June 12, and they will meet the central and north route crews in Washington, D.C. Aug. 8.

“This is for the common cause of raising awareness for people with disabilities,” he said. “We’ve raised more than $570,000 so far between the three routes.”

At each stop the team makes a “friendship visit” with a local organization, Lynch said.

“We go down to those different friendship visits and hang out with the participants and hang out with the staff, and the money that we raise goes toward grants for those different organizations,” he said. “It’s nice to see where the money is going.”

Cyclist Grant Uselman, a student at the University of Washington, said it’s been an amazing adventure so far.

“It’s been a lot greater than I originally thought,” he said. “I was originally looking for something to do this summer, and I found this opportunity through my fraternity.”

Uselman said he had never really seen the south before starting the cross-country trip.

“I knew it would be a great way to do that and also help people with disabilities at the same time,” he said. “A cousin of mine is physically disabled, and it always brings her a lot of joy just for you to go and hang out with her for the day.”

Uselman said the team isn’t able to spend hours and hours with everyone, but they are able to have a meal with them and enjoy their company.

“The cycling has been tough, but we’ve definitely grown as a team and as individuals,” he said. “It’s been a great time so far.”

Uselman said his first experience in the south has been, above anything, hot.

“The city looks nice,” he said. “It was a cool shot seeing the two bridges coming in. I know there is a lot of historical context here, and I’m interested in learning more about that.

“I’ve never been in the deep south before so everything is new,” he said. “I had grits for the first time, and I had gumbo yesterday. There’s a lot of new culture. The sweet tea thing is definitely new for me.”

Pi Kappa Phi fraternity is the only fraternity to own and operate its own philanthropy. The Ability Experience was formerly known as PUSH America until rebranding last year.

For more information or to donate, visit abilityexperience.org.