Biking for Affordable Housing
Donation protected
Three thousand, nine hundred, and ninety three miles.
I, along with other young, ambitious, potentially delusion riders intend to bike from Portland ME to Santa Barbara CA. Our mission is to build awareness and erect walls in support of the affordable housing initiative. We have six months to raise $4,500 and to shape our bodies into biking form.
Why affordable housing?
First watch this video:
There is not a county in the United States where a single person can work a full time, minimum wage job and secure a two bedroom home at local fair market rent. Finding cheap rent often means families overcrowd, do not have proper insulation, inhabit structurally unsound buildings, and may even go without electricity, plumbing or heat. Lack of affordable housing comes at the expense of proper nutrition, healthcare, and a stable household for youths. In 2011, according the the US census bureau, this numbered to over 40 million homes. A home is a basic human right, a necessity to live. There is no denying the serious issue at hand.
That is where Bike and Build comes in. It comes down to two key points of the equation: information and sweat. Through bike and build, affordable housing representatives spend six months talking to community members, reaching out to friends and family, spreading awareness and raising support. Finally that summer, they migrate from the east coast to the west, with stops along the way to build affordable housing units.
So why me? Why would someone who has never biked more than 20 miles (is it shameful to admit that?) decide it was their mission to embark on this daunting journey?
My 114 page rider's manual was equipped with this quote, and it is the most efficient way to describe my mindset.
A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.
– Jack London
Through a mentor program I am a part of supporting incarcerated women, I find myself empathizing with struggles girls face not unlike my own that bring them on to the path of addiction, homelessness, and jail. Where I was given random and miraculous solutions to restore my hope, the gift of encouragement through generous people I was fortunate enough to meet, they were given none.
I cannot know or feel enough to truly comprehend the struggles so many individuals or families face, but I can show how one can overcome impossible odds for the greater good. I can give a gift that can go a long way, and, along with friends, spread word all across the country. I have never done this before, but I know I can.
And here comes the part where I ask for your help. The task is no small endeavor, but time and time again we see on social media how even the smallest sign of support can grow into a huge wave as it sweeps through people's news feeds. Come on, we all saw Kim Kardashian's butt with the champagne glass- imagine if we can all share knowledge, hope and charity? Anything from $30 to $500- hey you can give the whole $4,500. Even a dollar makes a difference.
Sometimes people do not think to feel hope until they feel the warmth of kindness.
I still have a lot to educate myself on the affordable housing conflict, and I invite those who read to join me. My journey has only just begun. There is more to come, stay tuned.
More infomation here:
http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/content/view/9242/492/
I, along with other young, ambitious, potentially delusion riders intend to bike from Portland ME to Santa Barbara CA. Our mission is to build awareness and erect walls in support of the affordable housing initiative. We have six months to raise $4,500 and to shape our bodies into biking form.
Why affordable housing?
First watch this video:
There is not a county in the United States where a single person can work a full time, minimum wage job and secure a two bedroom home at local fair market rent. Finding cheap rent often means families overcrowd, do not have proper insulation, inhabit structurally unsound buildings, and may even go without electricity, plumbing or heat. Lack of affordable housing comes at the expense of proper nutrition, healthcare, and a stable household for youths. In 2011, according the the US census bureau, this numbered to over 40 million homes. A home is a basic human right, a necessity to live. There is no denying the serious issue at hand.
That is where Bike and Build comes in. It comes down to two key points of the equation: information and sweat. Through bike and build, affordable housing representatives spend six months talking to community members, reaching out to friends and family, spreading awareness and raising support. Finally that summer, they migrate from the east coast to the west, with stops along the way to build affordable housing units.
So why me? Why would someone who has never biked more than 20 miles (is it shameful to admit that?) decide it was their mission to embark on this daunting journey?
My 114 page rider's manual was equipped with this quote, and it is the most efficient way to describe my mindset.
A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog.
– Jack London
Through a mentor program I am a part of supporting incarcerated women, I find myself empathizing with struggles girls face not unlike my own that bring them on to the path of addiction, homelessness, and jail. Where I was given random and miraculous solutions to restore my hope, the gift of encouragement through generous people I was fortunate enough to meet, they were given none.
I cannot know or feel enough to truly comprehend the struggles so many individuals or families face, but I can show how one can overcome impossible odds for the greater good. I can give a gift that can go a long way, and, along with friends, spread word all across the country. I have never done this before, but I know I can.
And here comes the part where I ask for your help. The task is no small endeavor, but time and time again we see on social media how even the smallest sign of support can grow into a huge wave as it sweeps through people's news feeds. Come on, we all saw Kim Kardashian's butt with the champagne glass- imagine if we can all share knowledge, hope and charity? Anything from $30 to $500- hey you can give the whole $4,500. Even a dollar makes a difference.
Sometimes people do not think to feel hope until they feel the warmth of kindness.
I still have a lot to educate myself on the affordable housing conflict, and I invite those who read to join me. My journey has only just begun. There is more to come, stay tuned.
More infomation here:
http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/content/view/9242/492/
Organizer
Corrine Yonce
Organizer
Burlington, VT
