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NJIT Student Ready To Go That Extra Mile

Volunteerism has always spoken to his heart. And, Benjamin Lerch has always been willing to listen. He's the kind of kid who never met a challenge he didn't like - especially when it involved a worthy cause. Ask the NJIT sophomore to jump. And, he'd ask, "How high?" Ask him to ride a bike. He'd ask, "How far?" OK, how about 3,500 miles? Says Lerch, "No problem."

This summer, while many of his friends will be traveling, Lerch, too, will be doing a little sightseeing when he and 65 other students from universities across the country go the extra mile for people with disabilities. Beginning June 10, the students, all members of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity, will embark on a 63-day "Journey of Hope," in which they will cycle from the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco to Washington, D.C., to pave the road for a better understanding of people who are disabled.

"I was once told to never live life so that you feel too comfortable," said the mechanical engineering major. "Until now, I have spent every summer at home working various jobs. But, this summer I want to take a risk and move out of my comfort zone, to challenge myself physically and to grow as a person."

Although he already knows it now, Lerch is in for the ride of his life. Not anything like the day, two summers ago, when he cycled with a church group 66 miles from his home in Elmer, N.J., to Ocean City, to raise money for cancer patients. Although he didn't know it then, Lerch was beginning to understand the obstacles the handicapped must overcome. Unlike the others on the trip, Lerch didn't own a bike - the 20 speed, speedometer, radio, handle bar brake, water-bottle carrying deluxe others had. He rode a mountain bike, which was like running a 100-yard dash in the sand with army boots on.

"I still have my mountain bike, but I have to get a touring bike," said Lerch. "For the 66 miles, I used my mountain bike, which was a real handicap for me. So, I'm looking to get a nice touring bike. It's going to cost me about $400 and an extra $200 to put all the fixings on it. That's all going to come out of my pocket, unless I can get it donated."

But, Lerch will say, this isn't about donations, unless, of course, it's for charity. Each team member has committed to raising a minimum of $4,000 through personal sponsorships and a variety of fund-raising events. Funds raised through the Journey of Hope benefit the projects and programs of Push America, the national outreach project of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity.

By June 3, when he boards a plane to California, Lerch figures he'll have the donated funds. If you walk through the Hazell Center, you'll find a poster board charting his course, with a request for donations. But, you won't find Lerch there, he's probably off in the gym riding a stationary bike, in preparation for the 75 miles-per-day journey through the United States.

"Right now, because of the weather and Newark traffic, you can't ride a real bicycle much," said Lerch, who finished second in a student volunteer of the year vote last year. "So, the training is mostly done in the gym, which is not the same, but it gets my legs in shape."

The event organizers tell him the journey will test his mental and physical capabilities to the max. He anticipates that maybe sometime across the California desert, the inclines of the Rocky Mountains or the sweltering humidity of the Midwest, he'll want to quit. He also knows he won't have to look far for inspiration - to a high school friend, a quadriplegic, who has no use of his arms or legs, whom like him, didn't mind goofing around in class, even if it got them both in trouble. Disability or not, they were just like each other.

"My high school friend was my inspiration," said Lerch. "He's inspired me, but I also just have it in me. Whenever I can get some spare time, that's what I like to do - just help people out. I don't play video games, I don't watch a lot of television. I just get my studies done and I just hang around people. It's just something in me. I just like to hang around people … communicate."

His volunteer work has included anything from painting the Women's Center, serving as a youth group leader or simply helping out a fellow student who needs a hand with setting up a projector.

"It's definitely a challenge," he said. "Life's boring without challenges."

But, there's more to this "little bike ride." The true story of the Journey of Hope is the impact Lerch and his team members will have in each community they visit, where they'll sleep on the floors of high school gymnasiums, in campgrounds or anywhere else they can lay there heads. An exciting line-up of special events is also planned that brings campuses, communities and corporations together on behalf of Americans with disabilities.

"After this, I'll be in awesome shape," he said, looking ahead. "But, it will just going to be the memories of making these people smile. They say when you're riding into a town, the kids are crying that you have to leave. That's leaving a big imprint and I'm just going to grow as a person, basically open my eyes to what's going on."

INFO: Benhamin86@aol.com

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