Community Corner

Bike & Build Rides Through Norcross

The cross-country bicycle-riding group benefits affordable housing. The group of 28 college students stopped for an overnight stay in Norcross this week for its fourth year.

A group of 28 college kids stopped by Norcross this week after biking 494 miles in 13 days.

To say it's only a short distance sounds crazy to most, but for these young adults, it's only the beginning. They still have a whopping 68 more days and 3,771 miles to go for their summer-long project.

These kids are part of Bike & Build, a nonprofit that organizes cross-country bicycle rides every summer to benefit affordable housing groups. While they bike most days of their journey, the kids also help build and renovate homes for those in need along the way. They do everything from installing doors, paving driveways and painting an entire house.

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The participants are normally newcomers to bicycle-riding, they come from all over the country, and they're spread among nine different routes. The group passing through Norcross has bikers from 16 states who started the trip May 22 in Charleston, S.C., and will make its final stop Aug. 10 in Santa Cruz, Calif. That's a total of 81 days and 4,262 miles.

If dedicating more than two-and-a-half months of your life isn't crazy enough, get a load of this: Every participant must raise $4,500 in order to qualify for the ride.

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While raising the funds is a challenge for most, participants such as Austin Abromeit are still determined to join.

"It sounded like something right up my alley," said Abromeit, who attends Boise State University in Idaho. "It's a big accomplishment, for a good cause and a great adventure, so I did a bit of research and it's been on the back of my mind ever since. I worked out to do it this summer, so here I am."

Even though the Charleston-Santa Cruz group wasn't resconstructing any homes in the metro Atlanta area this year, they're still very welcome in Norcross. The A. Worley Brown Boys & Girls Club provides showers and a place to rest during their one-night stay in town, and 45 South Cafe cooks dinner and breakfast for the crew, funded by Norcross Presbyterian Church, RockTenn and Rebuilding Together Gwinnett.

"I'm a part of this being they're committed," said Bob Stanton, of Rebuilding Together Gwinnett and RockTenn. He's spearheaded this group's stay in Norcross from the beginning four years ago. "These are college kids. They could be doing anything with their summers. So when you hear [about what they're doing], that says, 'OK, if they can be committed, I just want to be close to get their energy.'"

In the end, Bike & Build isn't just about helping others, but giving its volunteers a different oulook on life.

"This trip helps you appreciate the little things, like a hot shower, a warm meal, or cookies for dinner," said Hawa Ahmed, a bicyclist from Pennsylvania attending the University of Virginia.

To learn more about Bike & Build, visit its website at bikeandbuild.org. To learn more about the Charleston to Santa Cruz group and follow their route, click here.

See also: 

  • Pedaling Across the Country for Affordable Homes

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