While having somewhere to lay one’s head and raise a family may seem commonplace, the reality is that it is not common enough.
Such a reality is why organizations like the Fuller Center for Housing exist along with The Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure and its covenant partners like Emmanuel Baptist Church.
A group of bicycle riders with The Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure arrived in Greenville Thursday from Vicksburg to carry out one of their homebuilding missions with the Leland Fuller Center for Housing as part of its efforts to raise money and awareness for the organization’s fight against poverty housing.
Founded in 2008 as an avenue to generate donations for The Fuller Center’s work of repairing and constructing homes to assist families in need of “simple, decent places to live,” the Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure, “through dozens of covenant partners” across the U.S. and abroad, has helped to raise more than $3.8 million for the cause.
More than a half million dollars has been raised this year alone — a new year record according to the Fuller Center for Housing.
The inaugural journey — Underground Railroad Charity Bicycle Ride — consists of 1,350 miles traveled over a four-week period following slaves’ historic path toward freedom.
Not even the tremendously stormy weather conditions the riders faced as they made their 90 mile journey to Washington County could keep them from accomplishing what they set out to do.
After waiting out the storm in a gas station roughly 18 miles away from their destination Thursday, the riders — hosted by Emmanuel Baptist Church — began their Build Day on a very bright and early Friday morning and replenished with a hearty barbecue lunch.
Over a four-week span, The Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure will encompass six states from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico to the shore of Lake Erie.
“Along the way, riders will hop off their bikes for five different build days as they practice what they preach with Fuller Center covenant partners. Riders average more than 63 miles of riding per day and are hosted at most of their overnight stops by churches before they resume their journey early the next morning,” stated Chris Johnson, Vice President of Communications.
Sandi Remson, one of the Fuller Center riders, along with her husband, was simply moved by the mission of the Fuller Center, especially having noticed during a cross country bike ride last year, the devastation across Louisiana and Mississippi caused by Hurricanes Ida and other severe weather events.
Remson noted many of those places were in impoverished areas and economically challenged areas.
“My husband and I are bike riders and we were looking for something to do and somebody recommended Fuller Center. We did a little internet research and it sounded like something we wanted to get involved with,” Remson said. “There’s a fee to join and we can go out and search for donations and recruit our family, friends and businesses to help support us, but 95% of the money we raise goes back into housing.”
Remson highlighted people are not exactly “given” a house free of charge — they are given an interest free loan for which they have to qualify.
“That impressed me because it gives them the responsibility of making it work and they have to qualify, but interest is so much of a house payment and this way the money they pay, pays it forward for the next person.”
This adventure made Diane Bies’ 21st Fuller Center ride.
Bies began as a cyclist in 2013 and in 2014, started building and completed her first full week of building.
“I just fell in love with the concept and the recycling of the donations is what really got me in — every dollar is reused nine times, so the house payment goes into this area and at some point and time, they have enough payments coming in that they can build another two, three or five homes just off of the payments coming in,” she said, pointing out the use of volunteer labor and donations. “It’s very special to me.”
Bies recalled her father being on his deathbed during her second year of being with the Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure, which made her reluctant to continue.
“I said ‘okay God, if my dad dies and I have to come home early I am not doing this anymore at all and this is not my area,’” she said.
Bies’ father honored his daughter’s request of still being there when she returned and confirmed that she was doing exactly what God wanted her to do.
“That’s why I’ve done it so much for so long and I continue getting confirmation,” she added, “riding with your bike down the highway and I just feel like I’m in a little bubble because so many people are praying for us. It’s a wonderful family and it just keeps growing.”
