Before diving into the real world and seeking out one of those rare things called a “job,” I’ve decided to do something a little different after graduation. Come June 17th I will be embarking on a cross-country journey to help build more affordable housing throughout America. Along with about thirty other college students, I am biking 3,707 miles from Boston to Santa Barbara, California with an organization called BIKE AND BUILD. The whole point of the trip is to raise awareness and funds for the issue of affordable housing. We’ll be stopping in eight cities across the country and building homes with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together. As a graduating fourth year at UVA, I am dedicating my last free summer to this nine-week trip because I believe in the cause and the huge impact that Bike & Build has on it. Over the past six years, they have given over 1.6 million dollars directly to affordable housing organizations.
In order to participate in Bike & Build, I need to raise $4,000, which will be distributed to affordable housing groups across the nation through competitive grant programs and on-the-road donations. If you’d like to see exactly how the money is distributed, it is clearly detailed on their official website.
Please help me reach this fundraising goal by donating to Bike and Build in my name. Check out the Donate page for details.
My experience with Habitat for Humanity and affordable housing
The issue of affordable housing has been important to me for quite a while now, and for the past seven years I have dedicated myself to this cause. I believe everyone has a fundamental human right to decent shelter, and thus I have become extremely involved in Habitat for Humanity, which I started volunteering with freshman year of high school. Back then, I simply saw it as a cool way to get community service hours, but over time I learned much more about the organization, the problem of substandard housing, and the need for more decent, affordable housing. By senior year, I had become President of Morristown High School Habitat, a founding member of Youth United for Morris County, and Co-Chair of Youth United. During these initial years we organized many fundraisers to help build affordable housing in Morris County, NJ and helped build two homes in our community.
When I arrived at the University of Virginia, I immediately sought out the campus chapter of Habitat to get involved. The most influential experiences I have had with the issue of affordable housing occurred during my volunteer trips (Collegiate Challenge) and dedication ceremonies. I’ve gone on two Collegiate Challenge trips with Habitat for Humanity to Charleston, SC and Jacksonville, FL. They were both amazing experiences that allowed me to take one week and completely dedicate myself to the cause. I learned a great deal about the people we helped and the positive impact we were making on their lives.
This past year I was President of the UVA campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and I committed to building three hours every week for the spring semester. At the end of the semester we completed my favorite Habitat houses yet (two very “green” homes with a communal courtyard) and I will never forget the dedication ceremony. Both of these families had fascinating stories. One family consisted of refugees from Afghanistan who had lost their home and father in a bombing. Before fleeing to America, all five of them were forced to live in one room with no water and just a single light bulb. Going from this dire situation to a brand-new, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house was simply unreal for them. Each of the kids touchingly spoke of their experience and gratefulness. Their mother had not planned to speak at first because she did not know English, but when Habitat presented her with the keys to the house, she was so compelled and moved to speak that she quickly called her eldest son over to translate. The translation was unnecessary. It was easy to see just how much this home meant to her and her family. She had suffered so much and worked so hard to get to where she was, and now her kids could grow up with the kind of life and opportunities they deserved. As if this wasn’t moving enough, when the next family spoke, it was truly unforgettable. They were a small family of three; just a mother, father, and daughter. Only the father spoke, but it was such a cinematic moment. The father stood in the center with his wife and daughter closely holding on at his sides, supporting him in a tough speech. We all watched, completely captivated by the intense emotions radiating from this family. With many pauses, and a few tears that could no longer be held back, he said some powerful things. The most touching part of it all was when he said, “Words cannot express how thankful we are today.” I remember thinking how incredibly true that was. Even the most articulate “thank you” speech could not express their extreme gratitude, which was clearly communicated through their faces and bodies. I left that ceremony feeling so happy for both families and so proud of what I had contributed to. Knowing that my small part helped create a promising future and provided such immense happiness could not have been anymore fulfilling.
Having a taste of that kind of pure happiness completely renews my passion for this cause. I want to give more, help more, make more affordable housing. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to dedicate my summer to building affordable housing across the country because it will be such a rich and rewarding experience.
