My story

I am a 72 year-old guy who was born in Boston, MA.  I moved to Washington, DC in 1981 with a newly-elected congressman named Barney Frank.  I worked on Capitol Hill for 4 members of the House of Representatives over 15 years and then for a PR firm for 15 more. I've been biking most of my adult life but only took up long distance riding with Fuller Center in 2016 at the urging of my fellow Fuller rider, Peter Asmuth.  This will be my 10th Fuller ride for which I've ridden a total of 7,000 miles.

Why am i doing this?

I do this because it combines a healthy activity with real help for real people who need it. Each year I can do it is like a gift.  The biking is the core activity.  Sometimes it's pleasant.  Flat roads, mild temperatures and a tail wind.  Sometimes it's brutal.  Hills, heat and headwinds.  But there's more to the experience.  Another aspect is the philosophy of "living simply so other may simply live."  Expenses for the ride are kept to the absolute minimum.  We sleep on the floor in churches that offer their basements and sanctuaries along the way.  Most also provide buffet dinners prepared by their congregations.  That is why almost all the money donated in support of the riders goes to materials to build houses for those who need it.  But, frankly, the most satisfying part is the build days when we actually work on building or renovating homes for people in need.  We meet the people we're helping, as well as their neighbors, family and friends.  That's the thing that brings meaning to the whole project.

(The following is all true and useful information.  But, fyi, it's boilerplate.)

What’s the Fuller Center?

A 501(c)(3) ecumenical Christian organization that believes everyone in the world deserves the opportunity to have a decent home in which to live. Millard and Linda Fuller were self-made millionaires who gave away their fortune in 1969 to follow God's leading. They lived the rest of their lives on humble means and dedicated themselves to providing decent housing to over a million people in 100 countries around the world, culminating in their founding of the Fuller Center in 2005.

Ok, but what does the Fuller Center do?

It builds and repairs homes using volunteers in partnership with families, who help with the work and pay it forward using a no-profit, no-interest loan that gets repaid to help more families.

It works through a grassroots network of volunteer-driven Fuller Centers in 90 U.S. towns and cities and in 20 countries around the world. Work includes community transformation in El Salvador, Armenia and Madagascar to disaster recovery in places like Mayfield, Kentucky and in Haiti to name a few.

It’s built or repaired over 8,000 homes – enough to house 30,000 people! Learn more about the impact here.

What happens to my donation?

The Fuller Center is known for maximizing donations by putting as much of the funds towards the work as possible. Their independent audit estimated that 94% of the funds go directly to program expenses, with only 6% to administrative and fundraising costs. This is a MUCH higher percentage to program than most groups given that the industry standard is 65% to program. The organization is also rated GuideStar Platinum, the charity evaluator's highest certification.

During the ride we live very simply, sleeping on the floors of gracious and generous church hosts, resulting in only about 2-3% of the funds raised helping to cover Bike Adventure expenses on the road.

Are there other ways I can help?

The rides do need crucial support volunteers and media interns (and often more riders!) if you’re interested in coming along, but besides that, your encouragement and your prayers for health, safety, and a great team would be highly appreciated. THANK YOU so much! This is a team event, and it’s not just the riders: by helping YOU are part of the team!