Biking across the country to raise money & awareness for affordable housing!
 

Hi everyone! My name is Nathan Thompson and I'm very new to this forum, as I'm also new to biking. Although I'd never really biked a lot, aside from when I was a lot younger, I've always been interested in getting into it. I recently found an opportunity to not only bike across the U.S., but also contribute to a cause I feel is often overlooked and is very important, especially in our current economy.

This summer, I will be joining Bike & Build in an effort to raise awareness and money to benefit affordable housing efforts. Beginning on June 17th, I will begin a cross country bike tour starting in Boston, MA, and ending in Santa Barbara, CA, along with 33 other riders. Throughout our journey, we will pass through many communities, telling them about our trip and the affordable housing issue, and letting them know what they can do to help alleviate the problem. We will also stop at 9 locations throughout the trip and spend the day helping to construct affordable homes for those in need.

Since 2002, Bike & Build has biked more than 3.1 million miles and donated over $1.6 million dollars to affordable housing groups.

In order to participate in Bike & Build, each cyclist must raise at least $4,000. Along with our trip, there are 7 other trips biking across the country doing the same thing, on different routes. The proceeds from these trips will be used to fund affordable housing groups across the country.

If you'd like to make a contribution, you can do so online by following the link below and selecting my name (Thompson, Nathaniel) from the dropdown menu, or sending a check to the listed address, with my name noted in the memo.

http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/comp...er/Itemid,118/

Your donation, along with contributions from hundreds of others, will have a significant impact on the affordable housing landscape across the country.

As I mentioned earlier, each trip will consist of approximately 30 riders, including 4 leaders. I will be part of that leadership team, helping plan where we stay and what we eat, which housing projects to work on, establishing the route, and keeping the group on track with pre-trip fundraising and training.

If you'd like to know more about Bike & Build, please take a look at our website, www.bikeandbuild.org, and the attached brochure. In the near future, I will also be setting up a blog with regular updates about our trip and progress.

I'm excited for the opportunity to see the United States in such an amazing way, while contributing to such an important cause. I hope that you will consider making a donation, and thank you in advance for your support. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at nat724@gmail.com, PM me, or post a response to this thread.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this post!