Internships, Summer courses and vacations aren’t the only ways UF students are spending their summers.
Three UF students are traveling with Bike & Build, a nonprofit that raises money and awareness for affordable housing with eight cross-country trips annually. Each trip has its own route and about 30 riders.
The trip lasts about 10 weeks, and riders bike about 70 miles a day, said Justin Villere, director of operations and outreach for Bike & Build. Along the way, they work with a range of nonprofits building houses for low-income families or individuals.
Villere said riders are mostly college students, but that’s not a requirement, and neither is biking experience.
“It’s more people who have a passion for service and adventure and who are looking to put the legwork into doing it … pun intended,” Villere said.
Michele Lis, a 22-year-old UF medical anthropology junior, heard about the program through another UF student who will be participating this summer. She said she wanted to do it because it sounded like an adventure.
Riders are required to raise at least $4,500 to participate.
Bike & Build’s goal for the summer is to grant $600,000 to more than 300 affordable housing nonprofits across the country. Last year, they gave out about $470,000, said Villere.
Marlee Henninge, a 20-year-old UF geography junior, was also encouraged to apply to Bike & Build by a friend. She likes the idea of immersive service projects, as opposed to a single day of volunteering.
“I cannot fathom the idea of being in California and knowing I just completed 4,000 miles of biking across the country,” she said.
[A version of this story ran on page 4 on 4/21/2014 under the headline "Three UF students to bike US"]
