Building accessible summer camp facilities for men, women and children with disabilities, freshman civil engineering major Kevin Lindgren will travel on a six-week journey this summer across the country as part of Build America.
The Ability Experience, a nonprofit organization owned by Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, sponsors Build America. As a new member of the fraternity, Lindgren said he found out about the opportunity from two older members of his chapter.
“I thought it sounded like a really rewarding experience, and it was something that I knew I wanted to try,” Lindgren said. “[My fraternity brothers] kind of inspired me to do it.”
The journey starts with a training session in Boston and ends with The Arrival, an event to recognize the participants, in Washington, D.C. Lindgren will travel with about 20 Pi Kappa Phi members from around the country to six camps in different cities.
“It depends on the camp, but we could be building ramps, playground equipment or really whatever they need,” Lindgren said. “I have not had experience [with construction], so it will kind of be like learning on the job.”
The team will spend four days at each camp and use the weekends to travel to the next site.
“I’ve heard that a lot of the really rewarding experiences are when, at night, you are with the campers themselves, and you can spend one-on-one time with them just having fun, hanging out and interacting with them,” Lindgren said. “You get to meet new people, people with different disabilities, and it’s definitely an eye-opening experience.”
Lindgren is required to fundraise $4,000 by June 24, the start of the trip. The money covers his trip costs and the supplies put toward building at the campsites.
“You try to raise as much money as possible because that’s what you put into each camp,” Lindgren said. “The money goes into building the camps. The more money you raise the better. Then they get a nicer camp, and you are able to build more.”
Lindgren said he has contacted parents, friends, alumni and members of his chapter to ask for donations.
“It’s constant fundraising,” he said. “This large-scale fundraising is quite new to me, but it’s definitely a fun challenge, and I’m up for it.”
To donate, contact Lindgren at klindgren@mail.bradley.edu.
