Trevor Ryan

Orientation in the SF Bay!

After a very busy May, I finally left San Diego for the SF Bay. The time to reflect on the train ride helped me realize just how much work I’ve put into fundraising and training. Now that I’m there, it’s surreal. Over two months of riding and building friendships within the disability community, not to mention the beautiful landscape.

It’s not an understatement to say this experience will be transformative for myself and the two dozen young men making up the team. To commemorate and remind myself of this, I had my friends buzzcut all my hair off last Friday (see pictures below). I still scare myself looking in the mirror a bit.

Today was day two of orientation with the North Route team at Camp Via West, nestled amongst the oaks and redwoods in Cupertino. I’ve been meeting so many brothers who’ve worked just as hard as me to be here, and I’m happy that a good team culture is already starting to mesh. There’ll be plenty of surprises along all those miles, but I’m optimistic we’ll be able to make the most of this all.

Lastly, I’m proud to have all of you reading this as part of my team. I wouldn’t be here without you all, and I cannot wait to share the stories we’ll make along the way. Expect a call sometime this summer for such stories! If you can donate just $5 or $10 more, it helps deliver our message of inclusion across our ride, and even more gratitude from me.

Over $4000 Fundraised for The Ability Experience!

Hi all! Once again, I'm honored to have received your support in this fundraising effort. So far we’ve hosted three restaurant fundraiser nights, with one more in the works! Furthermore, over 80 folks have directly donated or participated in these fundraisers so far. I’ve biked over 300 miles since receiving the Felt VR 60 road bike last month, and have routes planned around the county!

I’d like to give a huge thanks to everyone that’s donated to my fundraising efforts thus far and give some particular shoutouts you wouldn’t see, as that’ve contributed in other ways. Thank you to Key & Cleaver and Rocket’s Pizza & Subs for hosting the restaurant fundraisers through the last few months! Thank you to PiKapp Cameron for showing me a good ride up to the peak of Mt. Helix! Thank you to my roommate Taylor for donating their time and expertise in making pizzas for donation! Thank you to Joey for running a delightful game of Blood on the Clocktower to accompany said pizzas! And thank you to Tommy for the high-quality bike light to keep me safe at night!

Although we’re already at some impressive numbers, I have future efforts lined up, including but not limited to: presentations at local Rotary clubs, a 50-mile+ ride in East County, and a trading card game day for donations! These funds will make a real impact for people with disabilities, like with checks and renovation volunteer projects for crucial groups like AbilityFirst's Camp Paivika! Till next time, Trevor

My Journey of Hope!

Pictured: My chapter's friendship visit with Noah Homes, center for compassionate disability care, in Spring 2025 at UC San Diego.

While I’ve graduated from UC San Diego, I’m honored to be participating in the 2025 Journey of Hope. I’ll be reconnecting to my Bay Area roots as a road biker, on a much larger scale. This summer I’ll be biking from the West Coast to Washington D.C. through The Ability Experience's cycling event called Journey of Hope, in order to help raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities. I will be joining a team that will travel across the country in order to spread our message of empathy and acceptance for our friends with disabilities! We will meet with dozens of organizations that support people with disabilities along the way.

Two years ago, I never would've pictured myself doing this. Back then, I was very skeptical of fraternities. A few work friends changed my mind when they were insistent that service-based philanthropy for people with disabilities, was a core aspect of Pi Kappa Phi. I was curious and nearly done with my degree, so I joined. In the last year and a half of meeting brothers, raising funds, and volunteering for disability service organizations, I’ve experienced just how important this is to my fraternity.

The Ability Experience’s recognition of all abilities and empathetic approach reminded me of the positive impact a friend living with disability had on me in high school. Even on my worst days, Ben would give a cheery hello. This inspired me to become philanthropy chair for the Zeta Beta Chapter (UC San Diego), which was impactful and transformative. Raising funds and supporting people with disabilities was not only a great goal to strive for but also brought out the best version of myself.

To make good on that goal, I’ve committed to raising $8000 for The Ability Experience. Please join me on my journey by donating through this secure page. If you know anybody that would also be interested in joining, please pass this page along. Thanks very much and stay tuned for periodic updates by email!