Welp, the rumors are true, I signed up for another long bike ride! 

I know, I know... I've said many times that I'm pretty much all biked out. After more than 10,000 miles (most of which were on FCBA rides), it would probably be very reasonable to retire from my biking career.  But it's amazing what a little peer pressure can do!  Plus, it's been almost 17 years since I joined my first ride - I'm excited to see if I can still do it!  

More seriously, if you're paying attention to the news, it can start to feel like things are out of control. I certainly don't have any real solutions, but I do know that doing something always helps. Helping people have a decent place to live isn't going to solve everything, but it is something that I can contribute to.  Maybe it'll make a few precious lives on this planet a little better.

Plus, I know from experience on these rides, that the act of going out into the world, relying on the people around you, being in real community with one another, has an impact that's hard to quantify. It renews a little hope for everyone it touches. It reminds everyone involved that there are good people around us, everywhere. That feels like something particularly worth contributing to right now.

So what have I signed up to do this time?

I’m (hopefully!) going to bike around 625 miles from Huntington Beach, CA to Tucson, AZ in March!  We’ll also stop along the way to volunteer with a Fuller Center project. You can check out the route and all the details (and sign yourself up!?!) here: www.fullercenterbikeadventure.org/winterwestern.

What’s the Fuller Center?

An organization that believes everyone in the world deserves the opportunity to have a decent home in which to live. Millard and Linda Fuller were millionaires who gave away their fortune in 1969. 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. They've transformed communities in El Salvador, Armenia and Madagascar and lead disaster recovery in places like Mayfield, Kentucky and in Haiti to name a few.

It’s built or repaired over 9,000 homes – enough to house 30,000 people! Learn more about the impact here.

What happens with the donations?

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 92% of the funds go directly to program expenses, with only 8% 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, camping or sleeping on the floors of generous church hosts, resulting in only about 2-3% of the funds raised helping to cover Bike Adventure expenses on the road.

I witnessed first hand how efficient the Fuller Center is with donations when I worked at headquarters (which is just an old house in south Georgia) around 10 years ago. They're doing even more now with about the same number of staff - it really is just a passionate group of people who want everyone to have a decent place to live.  

Thank you so much for your support... and for doing something.

There are so many important causes to donate to... and so many people who need some help.  I'm honored that you've considered contributing to my little attempt to make a difference.  But if you don't, find your something - every effort helps... and it'll make your life better in the process.

P.S.: I tried to dig up photos from over the years for the "slideshow" at the top, and was able to find a good assortment! What a wild ride it's been, and what a gift to get to keep building with these folks!

• photo 1: 2009 - the finish line of my first FCBA at the gulf in Tallahassee.
• photo 2: 2010 - Fuller Center build in Haiti
• photo 3: 2012 - Fuller Center build in Peru
• photo 4: 2013 - FCBA from Savannah to Vancouver (I think this is where we had to get a special permit to cross the Mississippi River)
• photo 5: 2013 - build day in Oklahoma City following devastating tornados
• photo 6: 2013 - me and Brett!
• photo 7: 2014 - The end of FCBA from Atlantic City to Astoria
• photo 8: 2019 - spring ride on the Natchez Trace Parkway
• photos 9 & 10: 2025 - Fuller Center build in Peru