Bicyclists Preparing to Ride 300 Miles Across Alabama
Just 5 days away! From Friday, April 21st-April 23rd, 13 cyclists will be riding to help end the cycle of substandard housing. There are three ways cyclists are participating.
1) Nine riders will be biking across the Black Belt of Alabama to raise awareness about the housing needs in some of the poorest areas of our country while raising money for home repairs in Lee, Macon and Sumter counties. Their ride will cover 100 miles a day for three days and is a triple century challenge.
2) Other riders are checking in for our Sunday Century starting in Tuskegee, riding to the Georgia line, and ending at Auburn United Methodist Church around 5:30pm.
3) Eight cyclists are spinning or riding in their neighborhood also logging 300 miles as part of “Spin for a Cause”.
The Eighth Annual Cycle of Service benefits Alabama Rural Ministry (ARM), a home-repair ministry based in Opelika. Most of the households ARM serves are led by the elderly, disabled or single parents who live on limited or fixed incomes, said Lisa Pierce, ARM’s executive director. A family like Ms. Anderson who is home schooling her special needs son and has an income of only $900/month. At one point she did not have running water until volunteers helped repair major leaks. ARM also will host approximately 600 youth volunteers this summer providing home repair assistance to 25-30 families in Alabama.
This year’s goal is to raise $25,000, which will be applied to the cost of purchasing the construction materials the organization uses in repairing homes for up to 30 families, Pierce said. We are also renovating a community outreach center in Tuskegee, Alabama. Riders are currently gaining sponsors and individuals or groups can contribute to the cause now and throughout the three-day event by credit card at https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/cycleofservice
Bikers participating in the Cycle of Service will ride for five to eight hours a day. Profiles of the riders can be found at http://cycleofservice.arm-al.org The cyclists are meeting at Auburn UMC at 4:00pm Thursday to shuttle to Livingston, Alabama. The ride begins at 7:30 a.m. Friday at Livingston United Methodist Church in Livingston, Alabama, and will end Sunday afternoon at Auburn United Methodist Church approximately 5:30pm.
Some riders will participate all three days, while others will join various legs of the ride.
Friday April 21- Day 1: Livingston to Selma
Saturday April 22-Day 2: Selma to Tuskegee via HW 80
Sunday April 23-Day 3: Tuskegee to GA state line and GA state line to Auburn, will end at Auburn United Methodist Church
For more information about the ride event, go to http://cycleofservice.arm-al.org or www.facebook.com/Bikebama
If you would like to help ARM by volunteering with us providing home repair assistance in Lee/Macon/Chamber’s counties, please contact Joe Davis at joe@arm-al.org or 334-501-4276.
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