You can support the chapter’s efforts to raise money and awareness for people with disabilities by donating at the chapter’s secure donation site through The Ability Experience at:
https://give.abilityexperience.org/team/548518
Nationally
Pi Kappa Phi owns and operates a national philanthropy called The Ability Experience (formally known as Push America).
The Ability Experience is a non-profit organization that was founded by members of Pi Kappa Phi in 1977. It is the exclusive service learning project of the fraternity, aiming to serve people with disabilities and instill lifelong service in all members of Pi Kappa Phi. Initially begun as a project to build therapeutic play units for children with disabilities, the organization has become synonymous with fundraising, service and awareness for people with any type or degree of disability.
Since its conception, the Ability Experience has grown to include a number of different events across the nation. These include the Journey of Hope – a cross country bike ride, and Build America – a program aimed at building facilities for people with physical disabilities. Through these events as well as the work of individual chapters, The Ability Experience has raised more than $8 million in support of people with disabilities.
At Purdue
The Omega chapter is proud of our great involvement in the Ability Experience. Throughout the year we host a number of events aimed at helping people with disabilities. These events include Arctoberfest, David Feltner Memorial Bike-a-Thon, War of Roses, Adult Special Needs Daycare Assistance, Second Chance Pi Kapp/Best Buddy prom, Pi Kapp 100 and Journey of Hope.
Because of its commitment to the Ability Experience, the chapter received the 2017, 2018 and 2019 Star of Hope Award, recognizing it as the top chapter nationally in overall contributions to the national philanthropy.
Additional information about our programs can be found after the photos below.
Chapter members cheer on limbo contestants during Arctoberfest, an volunteer outreach effort with clients of the Arc of Tippecanoe in October 2024.
A chapter member who was a 2024 Gear Up Florida rider talks with a client from the Arc of Tippecanoe during a Pi Kappa Phi-Best Buddies at Purdue Hallowen party on Oct. 26, 2024, in Lafayette, Indiana.
A crowd watches as a chapter member leans down to get under a limbo bar during Arctoberfest, a Halloween-themed costume party with clients from the Arc of Tippecanoe on Oct. 26, 2024.
A chapter members visits with a client from Life Has No Boundaries during lunch in October 2024 at a local state park.
Chapter president Owen Hooper shows off his guns with a client from Life Has No Boundaries in October 2024 at a local state park.
During a volunteer opportunity, a chapter member assists a client of Life Has No Boundaries in October 2024.
Numerous fraternity members join clients from Life Has No Boundaries pose in a local gym during a volunteering opportunity in October 2024.
While at a local gym, a fraternity member assists a client from Life Has No Boundaries with rebounding.
A chapter member assists a client from Life Has No Boundaries with a Lego set in September 2024.
A fraternity member assists a client of Life Has No Boundaries with sidewalk chalking in September 2024.
Chapter members pose with clients of Life Has No Boundaries, a local non-profit that assists day service needs for people with disabilities, in September 2024.
Members of Pi Kappa Phi and Zeta Tau Alpha pose after the War of the Roses talent show in February 2024 in Fowler Hall on campus.
Members of Kappa Kappa Gamma perform a dance during the talent show of the 2024 War of the Roses competition in Fowler Hall.
A Phi Sigma Rho contestant performs an act during the February 2024 War of the Roses talent show.
Alpha Omicron Pi members complete their act during the February 2024 War of the Roses talent show competition.
Members of Sigma Kappa pose alongside their Pi Kapp coaches after winning the dodgeball portion of the War of the Roses competition during February 2024.
Two dodgeball teams face off at the start of competition during the February 2024 War of the Roses event.
Chapter Ability Experience chairman Joe Barbara runs the trivia portion of the February 2024 War of the Roses competition.
The Kappa Alpha Theta winning team representative poses with Pi Kappa Phi coaches after the trivia competition.
Trivia competition during the 2024 War of the Roses.
Arctoberfest
Arctoberfest is an annual Halloween costume party held for the local Arc of Tippecanoe, an organization that helps people over the age of 18 with emotional, physical or mental disabilities. The event is includes games, snacks and costume competitions.
Bike-A-Thon
The annual David R. Feltner Memorial Bike-A-Thon is a 72-hour event held each Homecoming week in memory of David Feltner (1988-2011). The original Bike-A-Thon was held to raise enough money to purchase a special needs dog to assist him with balance and emergency needs. David rode last five minutes of the inaugural event in April 2011. Tragically, David died three months after the first event. Since that time, his parents or members of Feltner’s pledge class ride the last five minutes of the annual event during Homecoming week.
Many sororities on campus also participate in Bike-A-Thon every year, as the event kicks off with a race to see which sorority can pedal the farthest in a set amount of time.
The annual event is held in memory of Feltner (Omega 1738) who died in 2011. Feltner was very involved in the chapter’s Ability Experience programming and was one of the first group to visit with the special needs classes at a local high school. He had hoped to be an Omega representative in the 2010 Journey of Hope, but his cancer treatments prevented that.
Since that time, the chapter has conducted the annual event in his name raising money and awareness for people with disabilities in partnership with The Ability Experience. Typically, chapter members 72 straight hours leading up to the annual homecoming football game.
War of the Roses
The annual War of the Roses events include empathy training, disabilities races and the capstone event, a talent show in Purdue’s Loeb Playhouse. Most of the Purdue sororities participate alongside chapter members each spring.
Pi Kappa Phi crowns its Rose Queen at the conclusion of the annual War of Roses competition.
The Annual War of the Roses competition starts with a dodgeball competition, followed by sheet sign competition and an event with people with special needs. Then the chapter members host a trivia competition and finally a talent show. Competitors earn points toward the championship from participation in the various events, t-shirt and ticket sales, fund-raising and sheet sign competition.
The Partnership
Pi Kappa Phi-Omega maintains and active relationship with the adult special needs care with a local non-profit agency, Life Has No Boundaries. The chapter sends brothers regularly to play games and help local people with emotional, physical or cognitive disabilities. Furthermore, the chapter assists the Arc of Tippecanoe with special events several times a year.
Second Chance Pi Kapp/Best Buddies Prom
Each spring, chapter members team up with Best Buddies-Purdue to host special needs adults who did not get the opportunity to attend a high school prom.
Pi Kapp 100
Established in 1999, each spring chapter members ride 100 kilometers from Zionsville to the Purdue campus raising funds and awareness for people with disabilities. More than two dozen riders participate each year. Riders have included alumni and one mom thus far. Each rider and crew member commit to raising a certain amount of money for the chapter’s annual Ability Experience fund-raising.
Journey of Hope
The Journey of Hope is a cross country bike ride to raise money and awareness for people with disabilities. JOH is undertaken by Pi Kapps from chapters across the nation, with Omega as one of the leading participants. In each of the last three years, the chapter has had 10 or more JOH team members, the first such accomplishment in history. The chapter’s first rider was in 1991 – Brian Carlson. The Purdue chapter has had 88 participants in the summer-long event thus far and will add two more in 2025 – Justin Bonanno and Wesley Bodwell.
Similar to the Journey of Hope, a month-long shorter Gear Up Florida event established in 1997, occurs each May. The chapter has sent 18 members on this ride throughout the state. Six more chapter members will join the list in 2025 – Connor Clayton, Jose Rodriguez-Argonz, Josh Ball, Kyle Clayton, Pablo Bustamante, Ryan Pirro and Ryan Fraga.
