About Bike and Build

Bike and Build is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, established in 2002, that organizes cross-country cycling trips to benefit the affordable housing cause across the US. In order to be able to participate in the program, you must be between 18 and 25 years of age. This is because Bike and Build works to raise awareness and promote action in young adults towards the affordable housing crisis in our country. The vision and mission statement are below!

Vision Statement: Bike & Build envisions future generations who are committed to a lifetime of civic engagement and who inspire individuals and communities to create fair, decent housing for all Americans. 

Mission Statement: Through service-oriented cycling trips, Bike & Build benefits affordable housing and empowers young adults for a lifetime of service and civic engagement.

Before being able to go on the trip, I had to raise $4500, do 10 hours of community service, ride 500 miles and get my gear ready to go. The money that we raise is distributed to affordable housing organizations that focus on having young adults work on their projects. It is distributed based on a grant application process or through pre-arranged contributions. Some routes work with particular organizations that help produce our events and will receive donations from Bike and Build. As riders, we are also allocated $500 from the money we raised before the trip that we are able to donate to an organization of our choice.

There are eight cross-country routes

1. Central US
2. Northern US
3. Providence to Seattle
4. Providence to California
5. Southern US (MY ROUTE!!)
6. North Carolina to San Diego
7. Maine to Santa Barbra
8. South Carolina to Santa Cruz

For my specific trip, we have 17 build days in the following cities and towns:

May 17 - Jacksonville, FL
May 24 - Tallahassee, FL
May 30 - Mobile, AL
Jun 3 - New Orleans, LA
Jun 4 - New Orleans, LA
Jun 5 - New Orleans, LA
Jun 6 - New Orleans, LA                
Jun 7 - New Orleans, LA
Jun 9 - Baton Rouge, LA
Jun 17 - Dallas, TX
Jun 18 - Dallas, TX
Jul 1 - Santa Fe, NM
Jul 5 - Durango, CO
Jul 16 - St George, UT
Jul 19 - Las Vegas, NV
Jul 24 - Ridgecrest, CA
Jul 31 - Modesto, CA

On my trip, there are 34 bikers, including the four trip leaders. We've each worked very hard since being accepted into the Bike and Build program and I am looking forward to meeting everyone and getting this summer started!