Some bike across the country to raise money for things, others build houses for Habitat for Humanity, others do both.
Others like Jennifer McGinnis, 21 years old and a senior of psychology at WMU. She is part of the group Bike & Build and is riding her bike from Jacksonville, Florida to San Francisco, California this summer with 29 other people to gain funding for affordable housing.
During the ride the group will be stopping at various locations to build houses for local families. The whole trip lasts 11 weeks. Jennifer’s group is one of eight routes that Bike & Build has going across the country. They will be biking anywhere from 50 to 100 miles a day when they are riding for a grand total of 3699 miles.
She has been involved with Habitat for Humanity for two years, since she was a sophomore in college. But she wanted to do more. “Just this fall I realized I really wanted to do Bike & Build so I looked into it and signed up for it,” Jennifer said.
There is a lot that needs to be done before Jennifer can go on the trip, both physically and monetary. “As of now I am not prepared to ride that much. It’s going to be super intense, in the spring I’ll start training more, right now I’m focusing on raising the required $4000,” Jennifer said. “Once you get $1000 raised they send you your bike and you can start training around town.”
Everyone who signs up for Bike & Build has to ride a total of 500 miles before actually setting out for the trip and a continuous 60 mile ride as well. “To prepare I’m trying to eat healthier (right now I’m into the junk food) and work out more, be healthier in general because it’s going to be so intense,” said Jennifer.
To raise the money Jennifer and her boyfriend are going to be doing fundraisers on campus. Their plan is to place a stationary bike by the flagpoles and ride all day in the cold hoping people take pity on them and donate money.
“The mission of this program is to power youth to make social change by connecting them to an issue in a very personable way. This is a lasting and memorable experience, it will show young adults what they can achieve,” Jennifer said.
For more information on Bike and Build check out www.bikeandbuild.org. To donate to Jenny directly please go to http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/4060.