Fraternity kicks off bike-a-thon with vets, mayor as guests
Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 12:14PM By Ariel Gilreath
girlreatha@mytjnow.com
Friday, Nov. 4 started off cold, overcast and drizzly, but that did not stop Winthrop’s Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity from enthusiastically pursuing their cause.
The Pi Kappa Alphas, led by senior business administration major Jason Johns, held a meeting in front of the Byrnes Auditorium at 11 am on Friday to start their third annual Bike-A-Thon kick-off.
This year, the fraternity donated $6,000 to the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), an organization dedicated to providing money, employment and other assistance for the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The organization has over 200,000 veterans that they assist and support.
The first year of the Pi Kappa Alpha bike-a-thon the charity was for cerebral palsy, and they rode to Washington D.C. Last year, they rode to Durham, N.C. This year, they bicycled back to Washington D.C., a 430 mile distance from Rock Hill.
Along with the crowd of people watching the kick-off was Rock Hill’s own Mayor Doug Echols, who congratulated Pi Kappa Alpha on behalf of the Rock Hill community. The speakers at the meeting included Maj. Carol Dobson, S.C. Sen. Wes Hayes (R-Rock Hill) and soldier Clark Collins.
Maj. Dobson of the 178th Engineering Battalion made some honorable sentiments in his speech to the fraternity brothers.
“A warrior needs three things on a battlefield: family and friends, resources, and their community,” he said.
He ended the speech by reading a poem by a marine chaplain, and saying, “God bless this fraternity, university and endeavor.”
Sen. Hayes also supported the Pi Kappa Alpha cause by giving some charitable words of encouragement.
One of the most poignant speeches was that of Private Clark Collins, who spoke of his experiences of deployment.
Being a soldier himself, Collins’ praise of the Pi Kappa Alpha’s donations seemed to strike home for most of the audience.
In his speech Collins said, “When you become a member of Pi Kappa Alpha, you dedicate yourself to a set of ideals.”
The enthusiasm of the fraternity was palpable.
“I’m really excited about it; this is my second year participating in the bike-a-thon,” said Chris Vaughn, a Pi Kappa Alpha member of almost three years.
For more information on the Iran and Afghanistan Veterans of America organization, you can visit www.iava.org.
