Hi, and welcome to my very first blog--a journal of my cross-country biking oddessy with the Bike and Build NC2SD team! From May 25 to July 27 this summer, I will be joining a team of 32 in bicycling from Manteo, NC to San Diego, CA to raise money and promote advocacy for affordable housing in the United States. To accomplish this goal, I am raising $4000 as an individual this spring to support local affordable housing nonprofits as well as the costs of our trip. The main beneficiary of these funds is the UNC-Chapel of the Cross Habitat for Humanity Partnership in Chapel Hill, NC. Along the course of our trip, we will be stopping in various communities to build on local Habitat for Humanity houses, including a week-long blitz build project in Maryville, TN. Whenever possible, we will be staying at local churches, schools, and community centers and giving presentations on the affordable housing issue facing America today. Find out lots more at Bike and Build's website. You can also support my efforts by making a donation to my Bike and Build account!
A quick note about me! I'm a senior graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill this spring with a double-major in Chemistry and Japanese. For the past four years, I have been a member of the UNC-COTC Habitat Partnership benefiting from our trip, and have learned just how important Habitat's work in Orange County is (more on that soon). I am a beginning biker, however, and I know this summer will be a huge physical challenge. After the end of the trip, I plan to spend a year in Japan teaching English to grade-school kids through the JET Program. The following year, I will be a first-year student at UNC School of Medicine. I hope that Bike and Build will be the first of many adventures to come over the next few years!
I will be using this blog to post pictures and stories from my team's journey this summer. I'm not sure yet how frequently I'll have access to the internet, but I hope to keep these posts as regular as possible. Because we all like to be regular.
You can contact me by leaving comments on my posts, or by email at <mgilliam at alumni.unc.edu>. Well-wishes are well appreciated!
2 comments:
the JET program rocks! My sister did that last year, she loves it. See you in a few weeks. Good luck with training/fundraising.
~Lance C
Meredith!!!
You're going to be in Memphis on June 21! Call me and we can meet up! You're welcome to stay with me, if you want! :) :) :)
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