...by accident (oops!)
Stats:
100 miles - Yikes!
10-15000 ft of climbing?
I rode my bike straight up mountains for a whopping 8.5 hours today. When I say stright up mountains, I kid you not. The ride was originally supposed to be a 94 miler (still a ton) but after an early morning detour, we easily exceeded our initial route. Pretty much the Appalachians kicked our butt.
To be completely honest, I think I blocked most of today out. It was hands down the most physically challenging thing I have ever done in my life. Finishing the ride was also one of my highest highs I have had. It was such a good feeling. There were about 6 of us that rode in a pack for the day and it was really really cool to roll in to the site together and celebrate our HUGE accomplishment. I think less than half of the team was able to finish in time (we can't ride in the dark so many had to be picked up...bummer!)
I fell asleep in full sleep clothes on top of my sleeping bag while everyone was eating dinner. It really was that kind of a ride. The good news? Only 86.5 miles tomorrow...maybe the mountains will turn to plains overnight? Wishful thinking....
(P.S. I dropped and broke my camera (booo.../of course I did...) Pics to come soon, I will probably steal someone else's...Thanks Nicole!)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Day 10 - Build in Chambersburg, PA
Today was our second build and we worked with Habitat in Chambersburg, PA. The house we were working on was another rehab project that was funded by federal grant money. The house was an old log cabin that predated the civil war and the woman that donated the house and land left the property to Habitat under the condition that the original structure of the house remained intact. While in theory this is pretty cool because of the age and history of the house, it seemingly led to more headaches than usual.
Essentially what they were doing with the house is gutting the interior down to the basic structure (logs) and reframing around it for added support. While the logs were in fact still there, the house will certainly look very different and a bit updated. We were on the site for a full day and it was scorching hot. We did everything from framing walls, to landscaping, to roofing. It was a bit chaotic throughout the day, but we got A LOT done. Props to the roofing crew, they were up there for almost 8 hours just frying and tearing the roof apart. It was super high - I wanted nothing to do with it!
The local news station was there and the paper in Chambersburg did a little story on us...check it out:
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_15373083
Essentially what they were doing with the house is gutting the interior down to the basic structure (logs) and reframing around it for added support. While the logs were in fact still there, the house will certainly look very different and a bit updated. We were on the site for a full day and it was scorching hot. We did everything from framing walls, to landscaping, to roofing. It was a bit chaotic throughout the day, but we got A LOT done. Props to the roofing crew, they were up there for almost 8 hours just frying and tearing the roof apart. It was super high - I wanted nothing to do with it!
The local news station was there and the paper in Chambersburg did a little story on us...check it out:
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_15373083
Day 9 - Harrisburg, PA to Chambersburg, PA
Before embarking on this Bike & Build adventure, I often thought about the potential places I would visit, locals I would meet and different things I would see along the way. While we are just 9 days into our trip, we have already seen some pretty hilarious sights, mostly in the form of billboards, advertisements and bumper stickers at this point (though I am sure we will see other oddities in other mediums in the future...) Perhaps the most notably absurd sighting was a billboard we saw today. As I was riding behind my friend this morning, I heard her yell back to me "did you see that billboard? what does that even mean??!" As I looked up to see what she was talking about, there it was...a huge highway billboard that read "Learn to Skateboard with Yo Baby". By the time we all met up for lunch, everyone was talking about the sign and its ridiculousness.
When we arrived in Chambersburg we were welcomed by the Cold Weather Homeless Shelter. We were all psyched to find that we each had our own bed, linens and there were even multiple showers in the shelter. WOOO for not having to be shuttled to showers after a ride (it makes such a difference - you have no idea!)
Tomorrow is a build day with the Chambersburg Habitat for Humanity so we get to "sleep in" (i.e. 7 am rather than 4 or 5) so we all decided to check out the county fair. Well, this turned out to be one serious country fair. This was no kids day. Yes, there were the rides, and the fried dough (and fried oreos) and the games, but there was also some serious country singing karaoke contests. It felt like I was much more southern that western PA thats for sure. I was really surprised by how thick everyone's accents were.
We were clearly in the "look at that group of 15 kids that are not from around here" category (it also happened to be laundry day and we were quite the rag tag group in our assortment of "laundry day" attire). We decided to make a little scavenger hunt out of the evening and agreed to award prizes to the person who could shoot pictures of the following at the carnival:
Best mullet
Best couple
Best overall ensemble
Mark swept all three categories. It was amazing. I will try and post the pictures sometime soon.
Nicole and Thom ending up spending a chunk of the evening trying to win a stuffed animal at the skeeball. 10 dollars later, they were awarded a pink and orange gorilla, they promptly named Yo Baby. (Get it?) Tomorrow, we are all going to learn to ride our bikes with Yo Baby...hahaha.
When we arrived in Chambersburg we were welcomed by the Cold Weather Homeless Shelter. We were all psyched to find that we each had our own bed, linens and there were even multiple showers in the shelter. WOOO for not having to be shuttled to showers after a ride (it makes such a difference - you have no idea!)
Tomorrow is a build day with the Chambersburg Habitat for Humanity so we get to "sleep in" (i.e. 7 am rather than 4 or 5) so we all decided to check out the county fair. Well, this turned out to be one serious country fair. This was no kids day. Yes, there were the rides, and the fried dough (and fried oreos) and the games, but there was also some serious country singing karaoke contests. It felt like I was much more southern that western PA thats for sure. I was really surprised by how thick everyone's accents were.
We were clearly in the "look at that group of 15 kids that are not from around here" category (it also happened to be laundry day and we were quite the rag tag group in our assortment of "laundry day" attire). We decided to make a little scavenger hunt out of the evening and agreed to award prizes to the person who could shoot pictures of the following at the carnival:
Best mullet
Best couple
Best overall ensemble
Mark swept all three categories. It was amazing. I will try and post the pictures sometime soon.
Nicole and Thom ending up spending a chunk of the evening trying to win a stuffed animal at the skeeball. 10 dollars later, they were awarded a pink and orange gorilla, they promptly named Yo Baby. (Get it?) Tomorrow, we are all going to learn to ride our bikes with Yo Baby...hahaha.
Day 8 - Schuylkill Haven to Harrisburg
Stats:
60.5 miles
4:20 time
16.8% max grade
4,036 ft
Todays ride was one of many turn arounds and detours. Three to be exact. Detours early on in the day are generally ok with me, its the getting lost late in the day and having to re-climb hills that kills me.
In an effort to avoid getting lost, and stay on track with the route, each morning we are given a cue sheet that looks much like something printed from google driving directions. The sheet gives us the turns, mile markers and lunch stops for the day so that we can follow along and stay (relatively) together for the rides. We also each carry a piece of sidewalk chalk with us at all times to so we can let our teammates know if there are changes in the route, detours to follow, or if we stopped in a store. Its a pretty effective way of keeping everyone in the loop without having to call 31 people every time something changes! I find that I rely mostly on the chalkings of others throughout the day.
We passed through Hershey Park on our way to Harrisburg, but we failed in terms of getting some donation magic action. Despite being decked out in our Bike & Build kits and carrying our bikes, the Hershey Park staff was not interested in dishing out 4 free roller coaster rides. Oh well...
60.5 miles
4:20 time
16.8% max grade
4,036 ft
Todays ride was one of many turn arounds and detours. Three to be exact. Detours early on in the day are generally ok with me, its the getting lost late in the day and having to re-climb hills that kills me.
In an effort to avoid getting lost, and stay on track with the route, each morning we are given a cue sheet that looks much like something printed from google driving directions. The sheet gives us the turns, mile markers and lunch stops for the day so that we can follow along and stay (relatively) together for the rides. We also each carry a piece of sidewalk chalk with us at all times to so we can let our teammates know if there are changes in the route, detours to follow, or if we stopped in a store. Its a pretty effective way of keeping everyone in the loop without having to call 31 people every time something changes! I find that I rely mostly on the chalkings of others throughout the day.
We passed through Hershey Park on our way to Harrisburg, but we failed in terms of getting some donation magic action. Despite being decked out in our Bike & Build kits and carrying our bikes, the Hershey Park staff was not interested in dishing out 4 free roller coaster rides. Oh well...
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Day 7 Stroudsbourg, PA to Schulykill Haven, PA
Stats:
4400 ft climbed
73 miles
Today was a really long and tough ride from Stroudsbourg to Schulykill (I think we have all decided it is pronounced skookull?) Haven. The ride ended with an absurdly intense and very unexpected hill. As we all wobbled our way up there (at less than 3 mph due to steepness) we had many falls and even a slight crash. When climbing hills that steep, it is really tough to get back on your bike once you have gotten off (ahem, fallen). Of the crew I was with, no one was able to successfully get back on their bike with enough momentum to sustain stable pedaling. We pretty much just walked up it. It was safer that way...hah.
We were a bit late for dinner but it was so wonderful when we were able to get there. There was a huge pot luck assortment of dishes, complete with a local favorite, mac and cheese with stewed tomatoes? Not really my thing, but cool to be exposed to different "local" foods.
4400 ft climbed
73 miles
Today was a really long and tough ride from Stroudsbourg to Schulykill (I think we have all decided it is pronounced skookull?) Haven. The ride ended with an absurdly intense and very unexpected hill. As we all wobbled our way up there (at less than 3 mph due to steepness) we had many falls and even a slight crash. When climbing hills that steep, it is really tough to get back on your bike once you have gotten off (ahem, fallen). Of the crew I was with, no one was able to successfully get back on their bike with enough momentum to sustain stable pedaling. We pretty much just walked up it. It was safer that way...hah.
We were a bit late for dinner but it was so wonderful when we were able to get there. There was a huge pot luck assortment of dishes, complete with a local favorite, mac and cheese with stewed tomatoes? Not really my thing, but cool to be exposed to different "local" foods.
Welcome to PA!
Day 6 - Build day in Stroudsburg, PA
Today we split into two groups and assisted with different Habitat projects in Stroudsbourg. The site I was assigned to was a rehabilitation project, where we were prepping a foreclosed house for a Habitat family to move in. The rehab projects are a relatively new component to Habitat for Humanity builds. With the recent increase in the number of foreclosures nationwide, many Habitat chapters have been applying for federal grant money to use to rehabilitate the foreclosed homes. They then are able to turn around and find a Habitat for Humanity applicant family to move into these homes. While this is a great way of making use of otherwise vacant homes and spaces, it often is more costly and time consuming than just building a new home from scratch.
The site I was at was in pretty good shape. We did a lot of prepping for paint (removing hardware off the walls etc.) as well as some minor demolition stuff and yard work in the back.
As far as I could tell, the other build site where the other Bike & Builders went, was a bit more intense. They were involved in a full demolition project in a rehab house. They essentially gutted and entire kitchen and stopped early only because they had filled the dumpster to capacity...Not an easy thing to do in three hours! Needless to say, they came back to the hosts a bit more hungry (and MUCH more dirty) than the rest of us!
Day 5 - Middletown, NY to Stroudsburg, PA via New Jersey
9.4% max grade
4,506 ft elevation gain
63.5 miles
So we have officially covered New York, New Jersey and PA! Woohoo! We arrived at the church in Stroudsbourg extremely fried after a long (and HOT) ride. We were greeted by a local news crew who did a little bit of interviewing and shot us riding in.
We had a relatively mellow evening and enjoyed a delicious meal provided by our hosts!
Today we split into two groups and assisted with different Habitat projects in Stroudsbourg. The site I was assigned to was a rehabilitation project, where we were prepping a foreclosed house for a Habitat family to move in. The rehab projects are a relatively new component to Habitat for Humanity builds. With the recent increase in the number of foreclosures nationwide, many Habitat chapters have been applying for federal grant money to use to rehabilitate the foreclosed homes. They then are able to turn around and find a Habitat for Humanity applicant family to move into these homes. While this is a great way of making use of otherwise vacant homes and spaces, it often is more costly and time consuming than just building a new home from scratch.
The site I was at was in pretty good shape. We did a lot of prepping for paint (removing hardware off the walls etc.) as well as some minor demolition stuff and yard work in the back.
As far as I could tell, the other build site where the other Bike & Builders went, was a bit more intense. They were involved in a full demolition project in a rehab house. They essentially gutted and entire kitchen and stopped early only because they had filled the dumpster to capacity...Not an easy thing to do in three hours! Needless to say, they came back to the hosts a bit more hungry (and MUCH more dirty) than the rest of us!
Day 5 - Middletown, NY to Stroudsburg, PA via New Jersey
9.4% max grade
4,506 ft elevation gain
63.5 miles
So we have officially covered New York, New Jersey and PA! Woohoo! We arrived at the church in Stroudsbourg extremely fried after a long (and HOT) ride. We were greeted by a local news crew who did a little bit of interviewing and shot us riding in.
We had a relatively mellow evening and enjoyed a delicious meal provided by our hosts!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Shine on girl...
Late Wednesday evening, I received devasting news that my dear friend Christy had lost her battle with Leukemia. While I generally am not one to post something so personal and emotional, it has been a daily struggle to try and cope with this immense loss and general saddness. It has been such an overwhelming blow, and the sense of loss is compounded by the fact that I am unable to get home to say goodbye.
Christy girl, you fought so hard, the hardest you could. I am thinking of you every pedal I push every single day. Love you always, always, always.
Me, Cole, Christy
Laura, Christy, Jess, Me
Ulrike, Christy, Heather, Me, Jess, Cole
Ulrike, Heather, Me, Cole, Laura, Christy
Gotta Love the Granny Gear....
Day 4 - Danbury, CT to Middletown, NY
Crossing the Hudson River
Stats:
71.5 Miles
3068 Elevation gain
3068 Elevation gain
So Drew's app malfunctioned today so our stats are a bit more like "guesstimates" but oh well...! Today was a beautiful ride and we finally crossed the New York State border (hooray for being out of the hills of Connecticut!)
We had a beautiful climb up Bear Mountain where we had beautiful views of the Hudson. We stopped for lunch at a scenic overlook that was just goregeous. Bike & Build founder, Marc Bush, joined us for lunch and then did the rest of the ride into Middletown, NY with us. It was really cool to talk to him and kind of pick his brain about Bike & Build.
Crossing the Hudson RiverI have fully embraced what we on Bike & Build refer to as "the granny gear." The granny gear is the lowest gear you can have on your bike and it has saved my life over the past few days. Yes, at times, I look like a total tool spinning my legs inappropriately fast on flat stretches, but man oh man, does it help. I am totally ok with taking my sweet time, its a marathon, not a sprint (just like Floralia, haha...kinda) Sorry for the lame jokes, I am writing this and I am so incredibly fried!
When we arrived in Middletown, we were able to shower at the local firehouse. I was so grateful for that hot shower, you have no idea. Post ride, we are hands down, the smelliest group of people I have ever been around. Yes, boys, I believe Bike & Build may give you Jerries a run for your money in terms of smelliness. I know, I didn' think it was possible either. Anyway, the firehouse was such a cool building and everyone there was incredibly nice. After hanging out and stretching our EXTREMELY sore butts, we had yet another lovely meal with our hosts.
On to Pennsylvania! Hooray!
Day 3 - Middletown, CT to Danbury, CT
Stats:
14.1% max grade
57.8 miles
6,683 elevation
After an incredibly tiring (and at times, stressful) ride we have finally made it to Danbury, Ct. The downtown area was really congested and the last 10 miles were a struggle for many of us...I did most of the ride by myself (after being seperated at one of the mant traffic lights) and had to make a few stops for directions. Each day, we are given a cue sheet with milage and directions (much like google map driving directions) so that we can stay on track and have a sense of where we are supposed to be at specific mile markers. We also each carry a piece of sidewalk chalk in our jersey pockets so that riders can "chalk out" turns, and inspiring messages. I HEAVILY rely on the chalk of others - haha. We still do manage to get lost though...
Asking a local for some directions (and, yes we flagged down a guy driving a tractor...)
While climbing the final hill of the ride, I noticed a group of kids running at me with posters. Initially I thought it was fellow p2sf'ers with their quick dry towels telling me to stop and come swimming (which I was NOT about to do - I just wanted to be at the host and off my bike!) As I got closer, I realized that it was some of the kids from the host we were staying at and they had lined the hill to cheer us on for the last uphill mile! It was so encouraging and sweet. When I finally got to the church, we all hose showered (better than nothing right?) and had a lovely BBQ with the members there. The youth group had fundrasied money to provide a dinner for us that night!
All of us in Danbury with our awesome hosts!
Day 2 - Plainfield, CT to Middletown, CT
Stats:
14% max grade
4919 ft elevantion gain
47.1 miles
While day one was a toughy, day two proved to be much more challenging. The hills were seemingly neverending. Just when you thought you had conquered the last one of the day, one would present itself behind a hidden curve...The good news is, this ride had TONS of fun downhills. I have to admit the climbs are seemingly worthwhile when you are able to fly downhill on your bike at 40 mph (it feels so good to go that fast!).
I've never been so happy to see a street sign in my life...
In Middletown we went to this awesome bike shop called Pedal Power. They helped a bunch of us our with mechanical stuff for our bikes an donated some powerbar bites for the whole trip! We are so appreciative of their help!
14% max grade
4919 ft elevantion gain
47.1 miles
While day one was a toughy, day two proved to be much more challenging. The hills were seemingly neverending. Just when you thought you had conquered the last one of the day, one would present itself behind a hidden curve...The good news is, this ride had TONS of fun downhills. I have to admit the climbs are seemingly worthwhile when you are able to fly downhill on your bike at 40 mph (it feels so good to go that fast!).
I've never been so happy to see a street sign in my life...
In Middletown we went to this awesome bike shop called Pedal Power. They helped a bunch of us our with mechanical stuff for our bikes an donated some powerbar bites for the whole trip! We are so appreciative of their help!
What goes up must come down...right?
...Unless, that is, you are talking about the hills of southeastern Rhode Island and Connecticut. Seriously. Who knew southern New England was so hilly? I am ok with hills, really I am. But when you have a seriously long steep climb with not much of a downhill, it can be an incredibly defeating feeling! (So about those Rockies….)
After all 31 riders ceremoniously dipped our back tires into the Atlantic Ocean in Providence last Monday, we took off for Plainfield, Ct. It was a really tough first day, with a 10.% max grade anda 3,076 foot elevation gain. Drew and Nicole have been tracking the stats for our rides each day and its kind of fun to see what we have done at the end of each day.
Day 1 - Providence, RI to Plainfield, Ct
After all 31 riders ceremoniously dipped our back tires into the Atlantic Ocean in Providence last Monday, we took off for Plainfield, Ct. It was a really tough first day, with a 10.% max grade anda 3,076 foot elevation gain. Drew and Nicole have been tracking the stats for our rides each day and its kind of fun to see what we have done at the end of each day.
Day 1 - Providence, RI to Plainfield, Ct
10.7% max grade
39.03 m iles
3,076 ft gain
We arrived at the host around 4pm and had a great BBQ with the community there. Plainfield is roughly 30 miles west of Norwhich, Ct and currently has the highest number of foreclosures in the state of Connecticut. While we were not able to build in Plainfield, the community was very appreciative of our presentation on affordable housing and our overall mission to create more affordable housing in the United States.
Chris (the rider whose bike was stolen on the Greyhound) was able to buy a 1970 Schwinn racing bike off of Craigs List. While it is not ideal, he has been such a trooper about it!
p2sf2010!
Joel, Sarah and Drew crossing into CT!
Roadside lunch stop!
Wheel Dip!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Here goes nothing...
While I generally hate all things associated with orientations (think name games, ice breakers and awkward silences, I have to say that the Bike & Build orientation has so far been enjoyable! Yes, there have been the standard orientation activities, but everyone here is just so seemingly cool, fun, down to earth crew with us this summer. It is really refreshing to do something with a group of people who are all as passionate and dedicated to a cause as much as you are. I am so looking forward to getting to know everyone better!
So when I packed for Bike & Build I filled an 18 gallon container with my sleeping bag, thermarest, clothes and bike gear for the summer. After day one, I weeded out most of the unnecessary items, and now, all of my clothes (including bike clothes!) fit in 2, two gallon zip lock bags. This is a big feat for me...I am sure I will be sending some more home, get ready mom and dad!
Today (Saturday - I am updating a bit delayed because of computer access), we had our shake down ride. It was too funny, for all you NA people out there we rode through East Providence, into Rumford and then Rehobeth. It was beautiful but it absolutely POURED which made for a tough first go at it! I am proud to report that I indeed had the first fall of the trip (surprised anyone?) but it was quite minor and two others soon followed (unrelated to my fall...haha). Rather get the falls out of the way sooner rather than later right? :)
One of the guys on our trip, (very) unfortunately, had his bike stolen while riding the Grey Hound from Kentucky to Providence. It was fully boxed, down below and someone just snagged it along one of the stops. Everyone has been trying their best to contact Bike & Build alumni to see if anyone has a bike for him to use for the summer. It is so terrible! I just hope he finds one in time...The kicker? The maximum amount you can claim from Grey Hound is $250 and the value of the bike is about 5 times that! It is so so lame. He is handling it well and I am sure we will all be able to figure something out so that he is able to start riding with us day 1!
We have some pretty interesting people with us on our route which is cool...a bee keeper, an international champion jump roper, the former bassist for Passion Pit (cool!)We ahave already met some really cool people too... The hosts we have in Providence have been absolutely amazing. They have thrown us a BBQ and have made us breakfast a few times! They are seemingly just as excited about our trip as we are! (Well...maybe...)
Mara, a girl on my trip (her name is Bree) went to high school with Abby on the crew team at Conn - Small world! Also there are two g-free girls along on the ride and they were excited to find out that I knew all about celiacs!
Adam - I met a lady in East Providence (she was at the host cook out) and she is the owner of the honey shop on Block Island that you love so much! Too funny! She was so excited that I knew about it and I told her how much you love it (I hope its the same honey?) Haha...
AHh! My computer is timing out in 8 minutes! Sorry for the modge-podge of a post...I will try and write more interesting things soon! I am going to try and update as much as possible, though it will be difficult because we are not garaunteed internet access all the time!
Much love!
So when I packed for Bike & Build I filled an 18 gallon container with my sleeping bag, thermarest, clothes and bike gear for the summer. After day one, I weeded out most of the unnecessary items, and now, all of my clothes (including bike clothes!) fit in 2, two gallon zip lock bags. This is a big feat for me...I am sure I will be sending some more home, get ready mom and dad!
Today (Saturday - I am updating a bit delayed because of computer access), we had our shake down ride. It was too funny, for all you NA people out there we rode through East Providence, into Rumford and then Rehobeth. It was beautiful but it absolutely POURED which made for a tough first go at it! I am proud to report that I indeed had the first fall of the trip (surprised anyone?) but it was quite minor and two others soon followed (unrelated to my fall...haha). Rather get the falls out of the way sooner rather than later right? :)
One of the guys on our trip, (very) unfortunately, had his bike stolen while riding the Grey Hound from Kentucky to Providence. It was fully boxed, down below and someone just snagged it along one of the stops. Everyone has been trying their best to contact Bike & Build alumni to see if anyone has a bike for him to use for the summer. It is so terrible! I just hope he finds one in time...The kicker? The maximum amount you can claim from Grey Hound is $250 and the value of the bike is about 5 times that! It is so so lame. He is handling it well and I am sure we will all be able to figure something out so that he is able to start riding with us day 1!
We have some pretty interesting people with us on our route which is cool...a bee keeper, an international champion jump roper, the former bassist for Passion Pit (cool!)We ahave already met some really cool people too... The hosts we have in Providence have been absolutely amazing. They have thrown us a BBQ and have made us breakfast a few times! They are seemingly just as excited about our trip as we are! (Well...maybe...)
Mara, a girl on my trip (her name is Bree) went to high school with Abby on the crew team at Conn - Small world! Also there are two g-free girls along on the ride and they were excited to find out that I knew all about celiacs!
Adam - I met a lady in East Providence (she was at the host cook out) and she is the owner of the honey shop on Block Island that you love so much! Too funny! She was so excited that I knew about it and I told her how much you love it (I hope its the same honey?) Haha...
AHh! My computer is timing out in 8 minutes! Sorry for the modge-podge of a post...I will try and write more interesting things soon! I am going to try and update as much as possible, though it will be difficult because we are not garaunteed internet access all the time!
Much love!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Fundraising Update!
Just wanted to update you all on my fundraising status. With the help of family, friends and local businesses, I have successfully raised over $4,500.00 for the affordable housing cause in the United States. Thanks to all who have contributed to this effort!
Pedaling for Affordable Housing!
So by now most of you have heard...This summer I will be biking from Providence, RI to San Francisco, CA (“P2SF”) with the non-profit organization Bike & Build.
Alongside 30 other college students and recent grads, I will make the 4,115 mile ride across the country to help raise money and awareness for the affordable housing cause. Throughout the course of the 9-week trek, we will make 8 stops to assist Habitat for Humanity and other affordable housing organizations in the building of homes.
It is estimated there are currently about 11 million individuals in the U.S. living in “worst case housing environments”, enduring overcrowded conditions and physically inadequate living spaces (i.e. living spaces without amenities such as heat, electricity, and running water) Of the 11 million, 3.6 million are children, 1.4 million are elderly, and 1.3 million are disabled adults.*
Since Bike & Build started in 2003, the organization has contributed over $2,305,345 to housing groups to fund new projects. The proceeds of my particular trip will be combined with the money raised by Bike & Build’s Providence to Seattle team and donated to Habitat for Humanity’s Providence chapter to fund a student-built house in Providence, RI. The remaining funds will be distributed to affordable housing groups throughout the United States to finance additional projects.
In order to participate in Bike & Build, each cyclist must raise a minimum of $4,000.00. If you would like to make a contribution online to our effort, you can visit my rider profile page at: http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/3537 !
For more information about Bike & Build and the affordable housing cause visit www.bikeandbuild.org!
Thank you in advance for your support! You will also be able to track our team’s progress on the P2SF page on the Bike & Build website if you are interested!
Alongside 30 other college students and recent grads, I will make the 4,115 mile ride across the country to help raise money and awareness for the affordable housing cause. Throughout the course of the 9-week trek, we will make 8 stops to assist Habitat for Humanity and other affordable housing organizations in the building of homes.
It is estimated there are currently about 11 million individuals in the U.S. living in “worst case housing environments”, enduring overcrowded conditions and physically inadequate living spaces (i.e. living spaces without amenities such as heat, electricity, and running water) Of the 11 million, 3.6 million are children, 1.4 million are elderly, and 1.3 million are disabled adults.*
Since Bike & Build started in 2003, the organization has contributed over $2,305,345 to housing groups to fund new projects. The proceeds of my particular trip will be combined with the money raised by Bike & Build’s Providence to Seattle team and donated to Habitat for Humanity’s Providence chapter to fund a student-built house in Providence, RI. The remaining funds will be distributed to affordable housing groups throughout the United States to finance additional projects.
In order to participate in Bike & Build, each cyclist must raise a minimum of $4,000.00. If you would like to make a contribution online to our effort, you can visit my rider profile page at: http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/3537 !
For more information about Bike & Build and the affordable housing cause visit www.bikeandbuild.org!
Thank you in advance for your support! You will also be able to track our team’s progress on the P2SF page on the Bike & Build website if you are interested!
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