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, 2019, 2012, 2013, 2023, 2024, and 2025 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.
Sam Anderson plays basketball with two clients of Life Has No Boundaries in January 2026 at a Lafayette gym.
Ayden Trabune rebounds the basketball for a client of Life Has No Boundaries in January 2026.
Max Barnett talks with a client of the chapter’s partnership with people with disabilities in January 2026.
Will McKee, the chapter’s Ability Experience chairman for the fall 2026, shares success with a client of Life Has No Boundaries in January 2026.
Coleton Vondersaar plays Uno in a classroom setting with two clients of the chapter’s partnership in October 2025 in West Lafayette.
Danny Ward, the chapter’s Ability Experience chairman in the spring 2026, works with a special needs client in November 2025.
Numerous fraternity members join clients from Life Has No Boundaries pose in a local gym during a volunteering opportunity in October 2024.
A small group of chapter members pose with our partnership clients at Carson Park in West Lafayette in September 2025.
A partnership client makes a pose of what Purdue basketball guard Braden Smith does when he makes a key basket at Carson Park in West Lafayette in September 2025.
A group of Pi Kappa Phi members pose with clients of Life Has No Boundaries at Armstrong Park in Lafayette in September 2025.
A client of Life Has No Boundaries has Parker Hellyer and Mason Snyder listen to one of his songs on his phone in September 2025 in Lafayette.
Members of Alpha Chi Omega participate in the dodgeball competition for War of the Roses in March 2026.
Pi Kapp coaches celebrate their team’s win in the dodgeball competition during the 2026 War of the Roses competition.
ZTA members try to guess what their queen contestant wrote down as her biggest pet peeve during the trivia part of the 2026 War of the Roses.
An audience member reacts to an answer during the trivia part of the 2026 War of the Roses competition.
The display shows the leaderboard during the trivia part of the 2026 War of the Roses.
Fraternity members pose with volunteers from student organization Best Buddies at Purdue at a Christmas party in 2025.
Chapter members pose for the ugly Christmas Sweater selection during the Pi Kappa Phi-Best Buddies Christmas party for people with disabilities in 2025.
A special needs client smiles during the various activities during the Pi Kappa Phi-Best Buddies Christmas Party in 2025.
Cayden DeSmet participates in the limbo competition during the 2025 Christmas Party for people with disabilities.
Kyle and Connor Clayton pose with their parents in Tallahassee at the end of the 2025 Gear Up Florida event.
2025 Bike-a-Thon conclusion
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.
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. Chapter members ride 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.
Second Chance Pi Kapp Prom
Each spring, chapter members 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 91 participants in the summer-long event. Ryan Pirro was the most recent rider in 2026.
Similar to the Journey of Hope, a month-long shorter Gear Up Florida event established in 1997, occurs each May. The chapter has sent 26 members on this ride throughout the state. Luke Ellis was the most recent rider in 2026.
