A week in the life a Bike & Builder

Hi Friends!

I've been on this Bike & Build adventure for nearly two weeks now!! It has been quite the ride. I flew in on Monday, May 24th. I arrived at JAX and met up with Kristian. I had my 40lb duffel and my camelbak. Agata, Colin, and Hans picked us up and we headed to the church we would call 'home' for nearly a week.

Sunrise Church in Atlantic Beach, FL. It was a great little church with very hospitable people. We met with the Habitat for Humanity (H4H) of Atlantic Beach and picked up keys to our trailer and grabbed our 15p van. Sarah (the H4H volunteer coordinator) handed us an envelope of gift cards for our leadership team to eat for the few days during leader orientation.

We went to this restaurant called Tortilla Flats--best special in all of JAX. Because we were new, we were given free appetizers. And the special of the evening--order an appetizer and get two free drinks. So we were all given an appetizer and drinks! haha.

Orientation went well. Learned how to drive the 15p with the trailer on it :o

The riders arrived on Thursday, May 27th. It was AWESOME meeting everyone!! The next few days were filled with little training sessions, icebreakers, and name games. On Sunday we dipped our tires in the Atlantic Ocean and then rolled out. We rode 70 miles. We camped that night and then camped again the following night. If you check out our route tracker on the Bike & Build website, you can see what cities we cycled into and how many miles we rode. The camp sites were great. It was hard to set up and take down so early each day, but I enjoyed camping!!

We have also stayed at churches and schools. Currently I am staying at a church in Panama City. The days and rides have been great--long, tiring and rewarding!!! We have ridden in the rain most days. Lots of thunderstorms in Florida!! We have been along the Gulf Coast now for two days and that has been beautiful. We also rode through a little tip of Georgia and through some forests. The rides have been great!! Yesterday we stopped half way through and jumped in the ocean and then went for icecream and continued riding.

Its been hard to find time to blog and even harder to find internet in order to post a blog. Each day a rider will be posting a synopsis of the day on the bike and build website. You can check it out and read what I have been up to. I have also been updating via twitter. Twitter is a really simple and easy way for me to upload pictures and updates. My twitter name is cassieholtz.

Letters are amazing and really brighten my day, soooo if you want to go old school, send me a letter and I'll write you back. My addresses can also be found on the Bike and Build website. (That website will be your best friend for seeing what I'm up to this summer ;o)

I am off get some work done--budgeting, cue sheets, and a conference call... and then the BEACH!!! wooot.

I miss everyone! :)

Love to all!

xoxoxo
c.

It's Just the Beginning...

This summer is going to be intense.

My name is Cassie Holtz and I just accepted a position as a leader for the Southern U.S. Bike and Build Summer 2010 route. I am so PUMPED! and NERVOUS! and completely EXCITED!

A little about me: well.... I'm crazy and random and ridiculous. I grew up in WI and went to UW-La Crosse for a few years before spending some time traveling. I took a year off of school to serve with AmeriCorps NCCC, and now, I am finishing my undergraduate degree at the University of North Texas.

I have done a lot of crazy things in my life, but Bike and Build may top them all--and I couldn't be more excited!!! Affordable housing is a true passion of mine and I believe everyone deserves to have a roof over their head and a warm place to sleep. I love to be out on a construction site and I love a good challenge. My trip this summer will take me to various cities across the U.S. and I will get to see the nation from a whole new perspective. I am looking forward most to biking through Biloxi (I lived there last year with AmeriCorps NCCC!!), New Orleans, Dallas (current place I live!!), Santa Fe, the Grand Canyon!!, Lake Tahoe, Napa and finally, San Francisco!!!

A little more about Bike and Build:

(taken from the Bike and Build website: Http://www.bikeandbuild.org)

Bike & Build raises funds for affordable housing projects.

- Over seven seasons, Bike & Build has contributed $2,305,345 to housing groups to fund projects planned and executed by young adults; this includes $662,200 donated from the summer of 2009 (more than $163,000 more than 2008).

- Through pre-arranged gifts, Bike & Build funds affordable housing projects executed by our participants in communities where our events begin. Through our grant program, our organization identifies and supports exciting projects involving young people all throughout the nation. Bike & Build also supports local affordable housing organizations along each route through on the road donations.

Bike & Build garners media and community attention for the affordable housing cause.

- Bike & Build's expansive national footprint allows our organization to promote the need for and importance of affordable housing in 47 states, 1 province, and hundreds of communities nationwide.

- Through print, TV media, radio, town-hall style meetings, and informal grassroots interaction, Bike & Build participants bring our organization's message to thousands of people from all walks of life.

Bike & Build fosters leadership and lifelong philanthropic service in our participants.

- Bike & Build's programming introduces young adults to the affordable housing cause, engages them in a unique and interesting way, and creates a prolonged and intimate connection.

- By funding building projects involving students and young adults, Bike & Build creates incremental service opportunities among young adults, empowering this crucial demographic.

I suppose I am most nervous about the fundraising (yikes!) and the training (another yikes!) BUT both are challenges I could not be more excited to take on! I am going to see a personal trainer on Monday, and hopefully s/he will get me on a great training schedule!!!

wish me luck! more to come soon!