Push America, PiKapp's National Philanthropy

Push America was founded in 1977 by Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity with the purpose of instilling lifelong service in its members and enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities. Push America is still fulfilling the purpose it was intended for, but has grown into a nationwide organization with numerous programs educating undergraduates, alumni, and communities about the abilities of people with disabilities. Push America's areas of primary focus are service leadership, construction, and cycling.

Please visit the Push America Homepage at www.pushamerica.org.

Core Values

At the heart of our mission are the core values of Push America. Push America strives to exemplify these values on a daily basis through our mission and the programs we provide. Our core values are a part of everything we do and are the guiding principles of the organization.

Service Leadership – With over 6,000 undergraduates and 65,000 alumni nationwide, Push America and PiKapp have a unique opportunity to touch the lives of many individuals and encourage them to become leaders through service on campus and in their communities. At leadership conferences every year Pi Kappa Phi leaders learn how to spread the message of acceptance and understanding for people with disabilities to their own campuses and communities.

Construction – PiKapp is heavily involved in the construction of accessible environments nationwide on campuses, in communities, at camps for people with disabilities, and even at individuals' homes. Members of Pi Kappa Phi work year-round, providing funds and man power, to help create a barrier free society for people with disabilities.

Cycling – Since 1988 PiKapp has been cycling across the country to benefit people with disabilities. Cycling has been the best communication vehicle for the organization, taking to the roads of America and spreading a message of acceptance and understanding for people with disabilities to millions of people through special events and the media. Our cycling events raise over $500,000 every summer to build hope for the future of people with disabilities while developing tomorrow's leaders.

Abilities – Push America believes in the abilities of all people. It is our goal to demonstrate to others the importance of seeing a person and their abilities before their disability.

Teamwork – Push America recognizes that together, everyone achieves more. All programs of Push America are team-oriented and the impact can be seen, not only in the people we support, but also in the leaders we continue to develop.

Empathy – Push America encourages empathy, rather than sympathy. We teach individuals to engage in conversation with people with disabilities just as they would with a friend. People with disabilities want to be treated just like everyone else and are not looking for people to feel sorry for them.

Integrity – Push America has a mission and realizes it is through honesty and responsibility of our work that we will continue to advance that mission. Our integrity and passion to our mission is what continually supports the development of leadership in the members of PiKapp and improvements in the lives of people with disabilities.