Written by: Ginny Hughes
I’ve been nominated to write the first blog for the Fuller Center for Housing Bicycle Adventure “Westy” riders. We are 30 riders who will be cycling from Seattle to San Diego over the next 4 weeks. This blog will allow you to follow our ride and the adventures ahead. We have come together because we are drawn to the close community it creates to raise funds and help others secure and retain affordable housing. All summer long we will work to build a community of both new supporters and old friends of the Fuller Center for Housing.
My introduction to this organization was from my dad. I’ve had the honor to join him twice on the week long FCBA Natchez trace spring ride. It was on those trips that I learned of this wonderful rolling community which transforms into a family by the end of the ride. My dad is with me in spirit on this ride.
Churches will host us along the way. Fauntleroy United Church of Christ is hosting us for the few days that we are in Seattle; they have been generous to open up their halls, school rooms, kitchen and hearts for 3 days as we learn more of each other and prepare for our journey. Our mission is simple: BIKE. SPEAK. BUILD. Biking is often a contemplative time where I turn to prayer and reflection. We SPEAK to many about the mission of the Fuller Center (our sea of orange shirts often draw attention and questions about our mission!) And we BUILD and repair houses for people all around the world.
Today we worked with Attain Housing in Kirkland and HomeAid Puget Sound. They are a 27 year old organization with various projects in the Seattle area that strive to help low income people secure and remain in descent housing. We helped transition three homeless families into their newly remodeled homes. During the renovation, the occupant’s belongings had been stored in trailers. We unloaded two trailers, moved boxes, and assembled furniture.
Tomorrow we will enjoy a training ride to test out our bikes and our legs. Three of us, including myself, have already visited the local bike shop (cross-country shipping is not always kind to bikes!) It seems that disc breaks suffer the most.
I want to introduce you to our stellar media team: Richard, Carolyn, Melissa, and Jessica.
I’m hoping that they will not stay behind the scenes and will introduce themselves in another blog post. They work on a lot more than media (cooking, finding churches, logistics and more) and will be making sure that our journey is documented and posted to a variety of social networking platforms. You may even be treated to some drone footage during our journey. Cross your fingers, they’re still working on basic drone logistics like “land” and “come back”.
I am a bit overwhelmed at the cycling task ahead but I already love being with my new Fuller family. I welcome you to share in our Adventure by following this blog as we bike across the West Coast.
OYEE!!!!
