Team Leader Retreat

Bike & Build's 2014 team leaders, staff and alum

Last weekend I went to Philadelphia for Bike & Build's Team Leader Retreat, where the 4 leaders for each of Bike & Build's 8 cross country routes came together with B&B staff and alum to prepare for the summer ahead. As I hoped, it was kind of like a weekend of summer camp. There were icebreaker games, skits, communal dinners, family feud trivia, bowling, late night dodgeball, and sleeping in cramped quarters with people you only just met. I felt right at home. We spent 2 and a half days completing various activities and seminars related to group dynamics, team building, Bike & Build policies and financials, cue sheeting (routing), personality testing, bike safety and maintenance, and affordable housing. It was a whirlwind of information, new faces, mental stimulation and self-reflection that left me feeling both exhausted and incredibly inspired at the end of each day.

My fellow Maine to Santa Barbara team leaders

The most exciting aspect of the retreat was meeting my 3 co-leaders face-to-face after 3 months of conference calls and e-mails. I was both hesitant and eager going into it. What if I can't stand one (or all) of them? Will they like me in return? How will we function as a group? Will they be able to tell that I've been Facebook stalking them for months? Deep breath. Play it cool. My worries were put to rest as soon as we had our first, refreshing conversation in person. These people are awesome. There's Becca, an outdoor educator at a year-round camp in southern California and an accomplished cyclist. I can't wait to learn from her as she schools me on the uphills. Emily is a researcher and student advisor at Northwestern University who completed a Bike & Build trip last summer as a rider. She has a wealth of knowledge regarding the ins and outs of the trip and a contagious enthusiasm for Bike & Build and the affordable housing cause. The sole hombre, Jeff (or El Jeffe, Papa Jeff) works for Habitat for Humanity in Oakland, CA. His firsthand experience with an affordable housing organization and easygoing demeanor will be invaluable to the team. Altogether our individual strengths, personalities and overarching dedication towards the cause and challenge ahead will make us a strong team, no doubt.

Hands down the most powerful part of the retreat for me came on the last day during one of the final sessions when a local Habitat for Humanity soon-to-be homeowner spoke to us. He grew up in housing projects, and he and his fiance, who has lived in subsidized housing for 14 years, applied to partner with Habitat last fall. There were more than 80 applicants and just 15 spots. He described the nerve-wracking waiting period followed by the overwhelming joy of receiving a letter in the mail saying they had been accepted. "I was jumping up and down," he told us of that moment. Not only did this mean he and his fiance would soon have a brand new home to build and call their own, but it also meant a better future for his kids and grandkids, a newfound sense of pride and confidence, and so much more. I had goosebumps on my skin and an electric feel pulsing through my body as I listened to his inspiring story. This moment brought the whole weekend full circle for me. It reminded me to stay focused on the Bike & Build mission:

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

 It reminded me that this summer and all of the preparation work, training, and fundraising I'm doing leading up to it is about so much more than a bike ride.

Meet Otter

Last week I got a giant package in the mail. Not only did it hang off of my front porch, but it also contained the Giant bicycle that I'll be riding across the country this summer. My excitement couldn't be contained inside a box 10 times its size. Opening it up was like Christmas on crack. 4 easy steps and 30 minutes later and the beauty was assembled. My friend Kylie even loaned me a bike trainer, so I don't have to wait for the roads to clear to ride it, although with the bipolar MT weather back up in the 40s and 50s I may not be waiting much longer.

The giant surprise waiting at my front door. 

At the suggestion of Kyser, a camp friend and donor, I immediately put the naming rights of the bike up for "auction" on Facebook. I honestly didn't think anything would come of it, but figured why not try out a clever fundraising approach. To my surprise, the bids steadily rose as the hours went on, garnering some rather entertaining offers:

$100 and a case of empty PBRs...

$110 and a care package in New Mexico...

$115 Justin Timberlake...     ?

See the resemblance?

When the clock wore down, the winning bid amounted to $140. The winner? My wily friend Eric Ott, who conspired with two other buddies to pool their money and win the auction. I should have included some stipulations in my official auction rules against this, but alas, my shiny new bike's name is now Eric Ott, or Otter for short. The two actually have a few things in common -

They are both loud (color for the bike, personality for Ott).

They both enjoy covering a lot of distance (Ott accompanied me on my first 30+ mile mountain bike ride in the Rattlesnake)

And I guess we'll just have to wait and see if my bike can chug a beer as fast as Ott can.

Donor Spotlight: My Mom

Me and Mama B on Flathead Lake

Last week my mom celebrated her birthday, sort of. She was born on Leap Day, so she doesn’t have an exact day to celebrate her birthday this year. I remember the year I turned 12 and called myself “older” than my mom, because she had only had 11 birthdays up to that point. The odds of being born on a Leap Day are slim – 1 in 1,461 – but my mom is more like one in a million. She also recently donated to my Bike & Build cause and pushed me up and over the $3,000 mark.

It’s no surprise that my mom is my number one supporter in just about everything. I remember her being at every brutally hot soccer game, every tear-filled swim meet, every boring tennis match, cheering from the sidelines and just as happy to be there watching as I was to be competing (that is, unless I was losing). She even did a cartwheel in the middle of the field when my college ultimate Frisbee team came back from an 8 point deficit to win the game to go to Regionals my senior year. I remember my teammates asking me in disbelief, “Did your mom just do a cartwheel?!” Anyone who can tolerate that many second-rate athletic events deserves some recognition.

Taken about the time I turned "older" than my mom

When I proposed my original plan to bike across the country and asked my parents to tag along as a support wagon, she was a little hesitant but didn’t discount my dream. Once I got on board with Bike & Build, her first reaction was, “So you mean we don’t have to go any more?” with a sigh of relief. She would have supported me along my journey if needed and is still pushing me closer towards it, just gratefully not from behind the wheel of a support vehicle. So here’s to my biggest fan, my role model, my one-in-a-million mom. Thank you for being there to support me every step of the way.