Scholarships
In 2020, moved by his personal experiences participating in the rides, veteran Bike Adventure rider Mark Murphy approached us with a novel idea: creating a scholarship fund that would help more people get their first taste of our rides and raise up future leaders. We said, “Great!”
Each scholarship is funded by donors to help new riders meet their fundraising requirement and to assist with internships and support.
When you apply for a scholarship, you may apply for up to 50% of the fundraising requirement as well as for a bicycle! (More on the bike below.)
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, so it is best to apply early.
Scholarship Requirements:
- First-time rider OR Age 26 and under
- Your portion of the match must be majority fundraised rather than self-paid.
Preference will be given to ideal candidates described by the following:
- Age 26 and under
- Demonstrated interest in volunteering or serving
- In need of fundraising assistance
- An ideal rider (attitude, interests, athletic aptitude)
Preference is given to riders who intend to participate in an entire multi-week summer ride rather than 1-2 week rides or segments.
Scholarship applicants may also apply for a bicycle to use for training and on their ride with us! The bicycles are limited to Whole Way riders who do not have another suitable bicycle for their ride. How it works:
- Bicycles are used, good condition road- or touring-style bikes that we receive through friends who manage or own bicycle shops. They are fitted for size, but not further customized.
- Bicycles can be picked up or shipped to riders after they have registered and reached $1,000 raised.
- Maintenance or replacement parts that may be needed along the way are at the rider’s expense, as if it was their bike.
- At the end of their ride with us, the rider may opt to purchase the bike for $300 or may keep it for free if they surpass their fundraising requirement by $1,000 or more.
The first step is to apply for the scholarship.
All first-time Fuller Center Bike Adventure riders are welcome to apply for a scholarship here. It’s a simple application! Finalists will be contacted for a brief video interview.
Your application is for all scholarships — no need to complete a separate application for each one.
Scholarships are created and funded through donations. Since scholarship funds are spent down over time, new donations help to keep them going. You may donate to any of the scholarship funds below, or send a check (instructions here) by adding the scholarship name in the memo section.
Each scholarship is named in honor of someone.
Yes! With a gift of $500 or more a potential scholarship will be listed here, and once it reaches $2,000 or more it becomes an official scholarship for that year’s rides. The scholarship fund may be named for you or someone you choose, subject to FCBA approval. Not only will a scholarship help to introduce someone to the FCBA family, it will help a family have a decent home in which to live.
The official scholarships will be honored through inclusion on our website, jerseys (if funds received before October 1), trailer and in other ways.
Funds raised through a scholarship will not count towards a rider’s requirement, but the founder of that scholarship fund will receive credit towards their all-time totals.
Click any image to jump to that scholarship.
Phil Gash Scholarship
Phil Gash has been an important part of Fuller Center Bike Adventure rides for the past decade. He has always taken an interest in new riders, particularly the young ones, and has always been willing to share his significant knowledge of cycling, geography, the art of beer, you name it. In addition to riding with us, Phil was always willing to sacrifice his ride to make sure our routes were well marked, and rest stops well stocked. We always looked forward to Phil’s rest stops as he usually had V8 and sometime when it was sweltering….ice cream!!
Grayson Cloy Scholarship
Grayson Cloy attended Mill Springs Academy where he was a role model, a leader, an honor roll student, and friend to many. He was an avid outdoorsman, photographer, and adventurer who enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. He was also a naturally gifted cyclist who competed and excelled in the sport he loved.
Grayson unfortunately died in a car accident on December 3, 2021 at 16 years old, but his legacy now can live on through this scholarship.
Clarence Gilles Scholarship
Clarence Gilles has been a power influence in our lives as a mentor, boss, but most importantly, as a Christian guide helping us navigate life. Thanks, Pops for all you’ve done, this scholarship is a token of our love.
In 2014, Clarence published On My Way, which is a book on Christian self-reflection. Few people think about the path to heaven and what is asked of them by God. In the book, the Holy Spirit uses the circles illustration to help each person determine exactly where they currently are in their “Walk with Christ,” and how far they have yet to go. Clarence discovered that more was expected than he thought, and you will too.
Peter Yelick Scholarship
Peter George Yelick was the 3rd child of Helen and George Yelick. He had older sisters, Margaret and Roseanne, a twin brother Joseph and a younger brother Steve. His Father came to America at the age of 19 and worked as an ice man delivering ice blocks for early refrigerator. He was able to save enough money to open a lunch counter, right across from a Chrysler plant in Detroit. The whole family worked at the lunch counter.
Joan and Walter Hartman Memorial Scholarship
Walter and Joan Hartman will always be remembered as loving parents with big hearts. Joan passed away in 2016 and Walter passed away this year. After raising 5 children of their own, their hearts still had enough love left to foster, and go on to adopt, 4 children. Two of these children have special needs and nobody else wanted them, yet they welcomed with open arms.
They lived their lives in service to others. Joan always loved children and became like another grandma to many of the children she cared for.
Andrew W. Nuttall Scholarship
Andrew was a much beloved tennis player, father, husband, son, neighbor, Green Bay Packer & Wisconsin Badger fan, jokester, and friend. He was born in Beloit, Wisconsin in 1960 and attended University of Wisconsin-Osh Kosh earning a BBA in Finance going on to earn an MBA at Georgia State University. Andrew had executive leadership positions with notable firms such as Georgia Pacific, Kellogg’s, and finally as Vice President of Customer Marketing at Tree Top, Inc. He passed away peacefully in December of 2019, surrounded by his family.
Terry Hollis Tuck Scholarship
Terry “Coach” Hollis Tuck, 71, of Clayton, Ga., took his last bicycle ride on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020.
He was an avid cyclist, a devoted husband, father, and PaPa, and friend, cheerleader, and coach to everyone he met. Terry loved connecting and sharing all of his loves with everyone he met through pictures, support, and frequent Facebook posts.
Pastor Arne M. Walker Scholarship
Pastor Walker is a passionate Lutheran confessing Christian who has dedicated his life to his congregations. Pastor Walker imbued his youth groups with love for Christ and adventure frequently taking them on primitive explorations of the Canadian boundary waters or on long-distance cycling. He incorporated many of the same Christ centered principals (Word, Fellowship, and Service) that FCBA would later also use. Pastor was an early supporter of Millard and Linda Fuller, renaming our youth group Koinonia in their honor.
Leslie William Kevehazi Scholarship
Les and his wife Terri started riding bicycles with friends from church to support charities in their community in 2013. They were embraced by the cycling community and soon became avid cyclists, completing long bike rides at any opportunity, including RAGBRAI in 2019. Les believed there was no other bond like the bond you had with cycling friends. In the cycling community, you watch, care for and protect the person riding next to you because both of your lives depend on it when you are on the road. That bond continues off the bike and into the community. Caring for others while enjoying yourself is an amazing joy to experience!
Robert Wyatt Moore Scholarship
Robert had a passion for life, most notably for helping kids with unique needs become successful in life, as well as a strong passion for riding a bicycle and mentoring new cyclists.
He dedicated his life to supporting children, spending over 22 years as Headmaster of Mills Springs Academy. He always inspired others to be better than they ever thought possible, and he had a very special connection with teachers, parents, and students.
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