TCU’s Pi Kappa Phi fraternity members cycled for 24 hours straight Monday and Tuesday to raise awareness for their philanthropy Push America.

“We are cycling for 24 hours straight in one-hour shifts to raise awareness and to stop the use of the 'R' word on campus,” sophomore strategic communication major Alex Tomlinson said.

Push America is a national outreach project that benefits people with disabilities across America and raises awareness for them, Tomlinson said.

The fraternity started biking Monday at noon and ended at noon on Tuesday, sophomore communication studies major Adam Herrera said.

“Whenever students approach a table we hand them Muscle Milk and ask them to sign our petition that states that we want the 'R' word out of the vocabulary,” Herrera said.

First-year business major Mark Branagh said Pi Kappa Phi is the only fraternity that owns and operates its own philanthropy.

He also said “Journey for Hope,” which takes place in the summer, is the fraternity's main event in which several fraternity members spread a message of acceptance by riding bikes over 32 different states.

“Every summer we have guys from all different chapters around the nation and they bike across the country,” said Branagh. “What they’ll do is that bike for about 10 hours a day, averaging about 75 miles, and they will stop at either a hospital or disabilities clinic,” Branagh said.

Senior marketing major Hunter Sprague said he participated in the 4,000-mile journey from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., in 2011.

“It was an incredible experience, there was a lot of fundraising and a lot of training and a lot of long days out in the sun,” Sprague said. “It’s all worth it when you get to help people with disabilities and really make an impact.”