“It’s not the destination right, it’s just a journey through”: Transitions on Two Wheels

When RJ Lugo attended a Weekly Success Meeting in Sacramento, he was “completely blown away.” “The attitude, the energy, and just the positive vibe when I walked inside… I left there and said to myself, I’m going to do whatever I have to do to help these guys out.”

And that’s just what he did.  At the time, RJ was the manager of Trek Bicycle in Midtown. [He’s now the manager at Trek, Roseville.] RJ donated seven bikes to Sacramento DST and several more to Sacramento Team Members. This donation has allowed the Sacramento office to launch a bicycle-mounted outreach fleet. On a bike, you can cover more territory in order to reach folks experiencing homelessness in out-of-the-way places. RJ made the donation at his own expense buying discounted bikes from Trek, but his attitude overshadows the expenditure. The Bike Outreach Team is “going to do more good saving lives than if I sold those bikes in the store.”  

RJ Lugo assisting Sacramento Team Member, Joseph.

The DST Sacramento Area Bike Outreach Team: Case Manager Vernon, Office Administrator Shyanne, Case Manager Dani, Project Manager Cameron, and Case Manager Corey.

RJ is a retired combat veteran of the US Army. He’s lent his passion to agencies like Rubicon, Wounded Warrior Project, The Mission Continues, and other veteran support organizations. He’s particularly dedicated to helping veterans through radical adjustments, what he calls transition, which for ex-combat veterans can mean struggling with PTSD. “I always want to connect with veterans that are in a transition period like that just because I know that could be me. That's how I look at it and I know what they're feeling, I know they're feeling like nobody understands them, they feel like nobody sees them and they also feel like sometimes people think they're just feeling sorry for themselves. You got to forget the past because your new normal going forward is who you are and that's okay. You're not broken, it's just a new normal.”

For RJ, the challenges faced by veterans in transition are similar to those faced by DST Team Members, some of whom are veterans themselves. This empathetic identification is deepened by personal experience with homelessness: “my dad was homeless for three years before he passed away, so I know the struggles and the heartache from the families trying to find people that are in that transitional phase. It’s not a destination right, it’s just a journey through.”

RJ knows first-hand the challenge of transitional phases. During a dark time, he entered a PTSD trauma clinic program. In that period, long bike rides offered clarity and liberation: “Psychologically, I think being on a bike allows that freedom, allows you to not think about what's really going on in the world and just allows you to have some clarity because I know when I came back from those rides, I had a clearer vision of what I wanted to do and how to go forward with life.” The bicycle as therapy.

When RJ learned that Team Member Joseph was riding his donated bike “just for fun,” he exclaimed, “I'm so happy when I hear that because to be able to say you're riding a bike for fun, just shows that regardless of your situation, you're enjoying and loving a bike and what it can do for you and I don't think he'll be off of it.” 

Team Member, Joseph ready for a joy ride.

RJ’s relationship with DST Sacramento all started from a chance meeting in Trek Bikes between RJ and DST Case Manager, Dani, who invited him to experience a Weekly Success Meeting. RJ’s closing words for anyone interested in learning more about the work of DST are “Get to a meeting! Let the Team excite you and show you what they’re about and I guarantee you’ll leave a meeting wanting to do something for that Team. Be curious, not judgmental.”

 If you would like to be a guest at a Weekly Success Meeting near you, just fill out this request form.