(See below for: The Cause, The Route, and my B&B Fundraising Heroes)
In Summer 2009, I biked from Boston to Santa Barbara with 32 amazing people on a Bike and Build trip! Bike and Build is a nonprofit dedicated to organizing young people who want to make a difference for deserving families in need of affordable housing. Every summer, people like me cycle across the country to raise money for and awareness of affordable housing efforts.
Guiding principles:
We are young, and we could change the world.
This one’s extremely important to me. I believe (and I realize that many people find me very idealistic) that everyone has a responsibility to try and better the world around them. Although this trip will be a huge personal challenge, it will be a chance for me to help others and give back for the wonderful opportunities that I have had. I can’t wait.
Safety is our top priority.
(This one’s for you, mom. Yes, this is actually one of the guiding principles!)
We work on a tight budget.
We’re not staying in 4-star hotels on donated money. Bike and Build organizes camping sites or host families/organizations, and we buy groceries and make our food along the way so that as much as possible can go towards affordable housing. Last year, that amounted to almost $500,000!
The Cause:
Affordable housing is one of the most important and pervasive issues in our country. Don’t believe me? Read on!
In order to afford the average fair-market rental price for a two-bedroom apartment, renters working full-time would need to earn $15.28 per hour—almost 3 times the federal minimum wage.
Despite states’ efforts, there is no county in the US where an individual can
work 40 hours per week at the minimum wage and afford even a one-bedroom
apartment at the local fair-market rental price.
Even if you were to increase the minimum wage to $17 / hr, almost 11 million people would still face “worst-case needs:” These families:
• Are renters receiving no government assistance,
• Make less than 50 percent of the area median income
• Pay more than 50 percent of their income for rent and utilities, and
• Live in housing with severe physical deficiencies such as lack of hot water, electricity, toilets, bathtubs, or showers.
Of the 11 million individuals living in worst-case housing situations, 3.6 million are children, 1.4 million are elderly, and 1.3 million are disabled adults.
The families that we help will receive an interest-free mortgage after working between 200 and 400 “sweat equity” hours on a housing project to earn their home. The money we raise will help provide simple, decent, affordable housing to families in need across the country.
*information from: Habitat for Humanity International (www.habitat.org)*
The Route
Boston, MA – Santa Barbara, CA: 3707 miles, 65 days
After a two day Orientation held just outside of Boston, MA, the B2SB route heads west across the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts and the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, interrupted by a day-long ride along the Hudson River. Upon leaving Pittsburg, the trip continues across the rolling hills of Ohio and vast open spaces of Indiana and Illinois, crossing the Mississippi river in St. Louis, Missouri. At the end of week four the route turns southwest to parallel classic US Route 66 through Oklahoma and Texas. As the terrain transforms from plains to desert, riders will literally be, as The Eagles sang, “standing on the corner of Winslow, AZ…” Pie Town, NM, voted one of the top three overnight locations by last year’s crew, will see riders cross the continental divide, as well as indulge in copious amounts of the local delicacy.
Tulsa, OK, Amarillo, TX, Roswell, NM, and Flagstaff, AZ are all stops en route to the Grand Canyon’s south rim. The last week of the trip says goodbye to the Mojave Desert, as California’s border gives way to rugged cliffs, beautiful vineyards, and finally the beautiful coast of Santa Barbara, CA.
Itinerary & Mileage
Fundraising Heroes (Thank you!)
Thank you to everyone who helped me raise almost $5000 before my B&B trip, and the generous people who donated along the way. You helped a great cause and helped shape the way I see the world. I am truly grateful for your support.
Anne Hardy
Annie Scofield
Bernadette and Dave
Carol Vassiliadis
Chelsea Wood
Christine O’Connell
Dan and Immie Darby
Danielle Nadeau
Danielle Wong
Diana Jaffe
Doreen Zelles
Elizabeth Joyce
Frank and Alex Meckel
George Somero
Gloria Mayer
Gloria and George Tarpley
Gloria and Frank Meckel
Grandpa Pierce
Heather and Gerry Pierce
Isabelle Kim
Johnny Pierce
Judy Thompson
Kristen Honey
Leslie Barbier
Liz Vrolyk
Maureen and Ed Darby
Marisa Choy
Megan Christofferson
Mom and Dad
Sharon Williamson and Richard Heinrich (and Jen Williamson)
Sheila Kealey
Shirley Flatt
Susan Wancewicz
Tere and Jonathan Trout
Wayne Bardwell
Zora Lebaric
Hopkins Marine Station, Monterey and Pacific Grove (especially everyone who purchased raffle tickets!)
