On Sunday, September 1, 2024, The Ability Experience teamed up with Philips Academy and Atrium Health’s Adaptive Sports and Adventure Programs (A.S.A.P.) for the Around the Crown 10k in Charlotte, North Carolina. For The Ability Experience, the purpose of this event was to raise awareness for the disability community while connecting Pi Kappa Phi members and friends of the Fraternity with people with disabilities and making races like this one more inclusive.
During the race, participants with disabilities had the option to ride in an adaptive racing chair pushed by runners or run the course with a guide. Runners were able to push a person with a disability in a racing chair, guide a runner with a disability through the course or run on their own.
The event saw an increase in both participants and fundraising from 2023. In 2023, the team consisted of 11 runners and three in-chair participants and raised more than $4,700. In 2024, the team grew to 24 runners and nine in-chair participants and raised nearly $10,000.
The mission of Philips Academy is to provide their students, middle and high school-aged individuals, with the academic, occupational and social skills needed to be self-reliant, confident and contributing members of their communities. Philips Academy Executive Director Deborah Hofland participated in this event for the first time this year, and she was surprised at how emotional the experience was for her. “There was so much joy,” said Hofland. “The students transformed through the whole process, from feeling nervous and unsure what to expect but still excited early in the morning before the race to seeing the pure joy and excitement on their faces as they crossed the finish line; it was just awesome.”
One Pi Kappa Phi member who saw that joy and excitement firsthand is Jack Glynn, Theta Tau, (High Point). While this was the first race he had ever run in, he embraced the challenge and powered through for this important cause. “To anyone considering participating, I’d say to do it,” said Glynn. “It’s one of those things that is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I met so many brothers and friends of the Fraternity, and that close-knit feeling of community helped us all get through the race together.”
The students from Philips Academy made up a significant part of that community, and The Ability Experience team. Linda Hughes is a Philips Academy parent and had the chance to attend the race with her son, Jelani. She was ecstatic to see the opportunity that The Ability Experience was providing for participants. “This experience allowed me to see that this younger generation of college men choose not to judge people about their disabilities but instead look at their abilities. This mindset change is a game-changer; this younger generation can change the scope of how people with disabilities are looked at and how they can engage in society.”
Thanks to participants’ fundraising efforts, The Ability Experience was able to present Philips Academy with a $1,000 grant for their arts department and A.S.A.P. with a $750 grant for future programming.
The Ability Experience team will be back on August 31, 2025, to take on the Around the Crown 10k. Contact Director of Community Engagement Diego Ferradas to see how you can get involved.