August 7, 2017 – Randleman, NC to Danville, VA – 70 miles
Our morning started in North Carolina with a delicious hot breakfast of egg and sausage croissants, biscuits, and muffins provided by Mr. Chad Coltrane. On our way out he reminded us of the life changing experiences that Journey of Hope has given us and encouraged us to make the most out of our final days. Our departure was gentle as the weather was overcast and a light drizzle followed us throughout the entire day.
The road was pleasant and I decided to play the “cow game” with a few team members in my paceline. It’s a strategy-based game whose goal is spotting cows in the planes to build up to the greatest number of points by multiplying and converting the cows into “beef patties”. It helped pass the time as our team crossed into Virginia.
Upon our arrival we were greeted by ARC of Southside and Ms. Tonya Milling. Their clients had wrapped gifts for us and it was a great arrival covered by the River City TV network. We changed into some dry socks and made our way to the bowling alley where we played a few competitive frames and bonded with our new friends from ARC over pizza. Dinner was provided by Mr. Jay Davis, an old friend who I met at Supreme Chapter in Washington D.C. 5 years ago when I witnessed the arrival from all three JOH routes to the Capitol. Having seen Mr. Durward Owen the day before and receiving a meaningful gift from him, it made me realize that Pi Kapp is truly a lifelong brotherhood. During dinner we spoke with alumni advisors from Zeta Xi (and hopefully I convinced them to sponsor Journey of Hope 2018!) Finally, we got to meet some of the associate members looking to recolonize at Averett University – they’re going to be a strong chapter.
JP Martin
Theta Upsilon (Northern Arizona University)