Now, that summer is finally here...

My schedule is as follows:
May 18-19: Charlotte - literally enough time to do laundry, see some old friends, and repack
May 20-30: New Orleans - gutting and rebuilding houses with Katie Mears '03 and the Episcopal Diocese Office of Disaster Relief
May 31-June 9: Charlotte - to actual train for my summer ride
June 10-11: beaches in South Carolina and Georgia with my mother
June 12-August 16: Bike and Build (exact itinerary below)
August 17-18: San Fransisco
August 19-28: Charlotte (possible trip down to NOLA again?)
August 29: Two year mark of Hurricane Katrina and the flood
August 30: My 20th birthday! And the first day of classes! (What else could I wish for?)

Bike and Build trip plan: (There are a few slight changes from the original itinerary)

Day	Date	Destination/Location	Mileage
Tue	12-June	Jacksonville	-
Wed	13-June	Jacksonville	-
Thu	14-June	BUILD DAY	-
Fri	15-June	Glen St. Mary, Fl	60
Sat	16-June	Live Oak, FL	54
Sun	17-June	Monticello, FL	65
Mon	18-June	Qunicy, FL	55
Tue	19-June	Marianna, FL	48
Wed	20-June	De Funiak Springs, Fl	60
Thu	21-June	Milton, FL	65
Fri	22-June	Mobile, AL	70
Sat	23-June	BUILD DAY	-
Sun	24-June	Biloxi, MS	80
Mon	25-June	BUILD DAY	-
Tue	26-June	New Orleans, LA	85
Wed	27-June	BUILD DAY	-
Thu	28-June	BUILD DAY	-
Fri	29-June	BUILD DAY	-
Sat	30-June	BUILD DAY	-
Sun	1-July	DAY OFF	-
Mon	2-July	Baton Rouge, LA	77
Tue	3-July	Opelousas, LA	61
Wed	4-July	Alexandria, LA	68
Thu	5-July	Natchitoches, LA	60
Fri	6-July	Mansfield, LA	50
Sat	7-July	Carthage, TX	55
Sun	8-July	Athens, TX	94
Mon	9-July	Dallas, TX	75
Tue	10-July	BUILD DAY	-
Wed	11-July	Decatur, TX	69
Thu	12-July	Wichita Falls, TX	75
Fri	13-July	Altus, OK	88
Sat	14-July	Memphis, TX	72
Sun	15-July	Amarillo, TX	86
Mon	16-July	BUILD DAY
Tue	17-July	Dalhart, TX	90
Wed	18-July	Mosquero, NM	104
Thu	19-July	Las Vegas, NM	100
Fri	20-July	Santa Fe, NM	70
Sat	21-July	DAY OFF	-
Sun	22-July	San Ysidro, NM	70
Mon	23-July	Cuba, NM	40
Tue	24-July	Farmington, NM	106
Wed	25-July	BUILD DAY	-
Thu	26-July	Ship Rock, NM	35
Fri	27-July	Kayenta, AZ	114
Sat	28-July	Kaibito, AZ	67
Sun	29-July	Marble Canyon, AZ	75
Mon	30-July	North Rim, AZ (Grand Canyon)	85
Tue	31-July	DAY OFF	-
Wed	1-August	Kanab, UT	80
Thu	2-August	Long Valley Junction, UT	44
Fri	3-August	Cedar City, UT	44
Sat	4-August	Pioche, NV	95
Sun	5-August	Ely, NV	109
Mon	6-August	Eureka , NV	80
Tue	7-August	Austin, NV	70
Wed	8-August	Fallon, NV	118
Thu	9-August	Tahoe Vista, CA (Lake Tahoe)	97
Fri	10-August	DAY OFF	-
Sat	11-August	Downieville, CA	82
Sun	12-August	Yuba City, CA	77
Mon	13-August	BUILD DAY	-
Tue	14-August	Napa, CA (Napa Valley)	100
Wed	15-August	Point Reyes, CA	63
Thu	16-August	San Francisco, CA	36

Thank you all for your support!

I have recently exceeded the $4,000 goal in my fundraising efforts. I am deeply grateful that I am surrounded by such helpful and encouraging family members, friends, educators, and coaches. One of my favorite parts of this process has been getting in touch with all of you. And I hope to uphold these connections throughout the summer and afterwards. I hope that this blog helps, and I very much enjoy the old fashion process of letter writing.

In addition, we can not overlook the fact that the money is going for a really good cause. I am proud to be riding in support of Habitat for Humanity, the revival of the Gulf Coast region, as well as affordable housing in general.

Having spent three of my last four breaks gutting houses in New Orleans, I have developed a deep love for the city and surrounding region. Tearing apart houses has taught me a thing or two about the way in which houses are constructed. While I do not claim to be an qualified builder, I can thoroughly explain the layers holding up a house. However, beyond the physical structure, what makes a house a home is its inhabitants and their memories. The teary-eyed homeowners I have served tell heart-wrenching stories about the memories they attach to the belongings that volunteers are removing from what was once their home and placing in a debris pile in their street. These encounters enlightened me about the great value in which a house and more importantly, a home can have in someone’s life.

Summer is almost here!!!

Today, I broke the $3000 mark! With only $1000 left to raise, my summer biking trip from Jacksonville, FL to San Francisco, CA is becoming more and more of a reality. Track season is over and my sprained ankles are (almost) healed, so my bike training is now in full swing. Some money is still trickling in, and I am making plans for some last minute fundraising events – talking to local stores and churches and perhaps getting an article or two in the Charlotte paper. And school is almost over! In academia’s place, Bike and Build staff have assigned me research projects about affordable housing in America and the towns we will visit. Plus, I am looking forward to a ten-day stint in New Orleans after a long weekend in Charlotte and before my bike trip begins. I will be gutting and building houses with my favorite Grinnell Alumna Katie Mears ’03 and the Episcopal Diocese Office of Disaster Relief whose program I have come to know and love. I often wondered last summer in New Orleans if I could ever top or even match my experiences, and I believe the Bike and Build program has great potential to do just that and beyond.

A Habitat Success Story from the Perspective of a Refugee

Both in Charlotte and in college, I tutored refugees fleeing homelands in Africa and the South Pacific. Among the many interesting perspectives these people aspired, one lady stands out in particular. She came only once since she had “graduated” from the typical emergency English-as-a-Second Language classes my program offered only recently arrived refugees, and I admittedly do not remember her name. Similar to the newly entering refugees, she told heart-wrenching of the past, but unlike the others, she also explained the great changes in her new life in America.

Soldiers were deployed by her own government because of lingering anger about her tribe’s unpopular support in a war more than thirty years ago. They raided her secluded, rural village and shot at her and her then-infant son. Climbing a tree to escape the fire; she was eventually able to come to America where she dramatically improved life for herself and her son. Not only was she able to flee such unjust persecution, but she cheerfully talked about the opportunities in America such as the public school her son attended and even more happily, she described the new house built with Habitat for Humanity. This allowed her to resign from one of her jobs. (Previously, she worked in a fast food restaurant during the day and as a custodian at night.) She could also spend more time with her son and taking care her lifelong injury from the government’s attack – a bullet lodged in her skull which often gave her throbbing headaches. Up to this point in my life, I had done minimal work with affordable housing organizations but her story allowed me a glimpse of the enormous impact Habitat for Humanity could have in someone’s life.