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| Posted 05.16.07 |
Students Bike to Raise Awareness for Housing Issues
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 Beth
Ogata '09 has the power – pedal power that is – to raise awareness for
American housing needs.
She will be one of 90 college students riding coast-to-coast this summer to
support the non-profit organization, Habitat for Humanity. This is her third
year making the cross-country trek. She will accompanied by Jessalee Landfried '07, Liana Woskie
'10.
The 13th annual Habitat Bicycle Challenge (HBC) will generate approximately
$430,000 in proceeds, enough to underwrite the construction of eight Habitat
homes. HBC riders will also raise awareness of Habitat's work throughout the
country as they pedal to end poverty housing.
According to Habitat, more than 5.1 million American families are forced to
pay more than half their income for housing, endure overcrowded conditions
and/or live in houses with severe physical deficiencies. While the number of
families in poverty is growing, the number of affordable rental units is
shrinking, and most families who qualify for government housing assistance
aren't receiving any aid.
The bikers have the choice to take one of three routes, each approximately
4,000 miles long.
Woskie and Ogata will take the “southern route,” crossing through
parts of Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky,
Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and ending in San
Francisco, California.
Landfried will take the “central route,” which follows the path settlers of
Oregon's Willamette Valley took more than a hundred years ago. Starting in
New Haven, the bikers cross Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa,
Nebraska, the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and southern Idaho
before hitting the Columbia River in Oregon.
Before the students can embark on the trip, they are required to raise
$4,000 each. The money will go to the Greater New Haven chapter of Habitat
for Humanity as well as international building projects. More information is
online at
http://hbc.habitatgnh.org/.
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By Olivia Bartlett, The Wesleyan Connection
editor |
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