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.