After 4 days of Orientation packed with training and team building, our Team departed from Gig Harbor in our Squad vans to Seattle, Washington. The Team took time to explore our first city together-from the Space Needle to Pike’s Place-and reflect on our Journey to come. While walking along the pier with a clear view of Mt. Rainer, many of us were recognized by Brothers and wished luck. We also ran into a man named Paul who cycled Journey of Hope in the 90s. He told us that this trip will change the trajectory of the rest of our lives and left us with some advice from his grandpa who fought on beaches in WWII: “If you can swim in 4’ of water, you can swim in 4000’ of water. We came back together for the kickoff dinner at Buca Di Beppo with family & friends. After delicious carbo-loading we got to hear Basil and Joel from The Ability Experience Board of Directors reflect on their life-changing JOH experiences. Our Team couldn’t be more excited to begin our Journey of Hope tomorrow morning at Golden Gardens Park.
-Ian Sundberg