Fraternity bikes to Boise again, for a good cause

Kali Nelson, Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Moscow, Idaho
·2 min read

Mar. 31—For the last 60 years the members of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity on the University of Idaho campus have made the normally 5 1/2 -hour drive to Boise on a tandem bike.

They start their trip at 6 a.m. on a Friday in the spring from the fraternity house at 503 University Ave., in Moscow and end it at 4:30 p.m. the following day on the state Capitol steps. Philanthropy chairperson Bernardo Bautista said they take roughly the same route each year from Moscow to Lewiston, then head to New Meadows. The members take turns on the bike throughout the trip.

They embark on another journey to Boise today.

"There's a whole, like, brotherhood aspect to it, because we're there with each other for a whole two days straight — just biking. So we really get to build a bond with each other," Bautista said.

The bike trip is a an event to raise money for the Hope House in Marsing, Idaho. The Hope House is open to children aged 6 to 18 who are emotionally impaired, developmentally disabled or come from disrupted adoptions or dysfunctional families. It serves children from all over the United States and the majority come from Western states, according to the Hope House website.

Last year the fraternity raised about $5,600, Bautista said. Donations can be made through Saturday at ahome2come2.com or via Venmo. The fraternity will give updates on their Instagram at deltasig_idaho.

University of Idaho student Lucas Moreno has participated every year the ride has been held during his time at the school. So far that's been four and he's ready for his last one. The fraternity had to skip a year due to the pandemic.

"We're trying our best to help out less privileged people out there," Moreno said. "I think we all enjoy coming together and enjoying the fact that we are able to do this for other people and kind of suffer over 200 miles just to go give them some money."

The first of these rides happened in 1963 and took five days to complete, according to an April 9, 1963, news story in the Idaho Statesman. There were 12 fraternity members involved and all were paired up to ride the tandem bike.

The ride has changed over the years, from the weekend it is held to how long it takes. The beneficiary occasionally changes, but Moreno said it's been the Hope House since at least 2016.

Kali Nelson can be reached at knelson@dnews.com.