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MKT-P0108
Let me Showcase your property.
New Listing
Tim Sapp
Owner /
Principal Broker
541 999-8230
West Coast riders for
the Fuller Center Bike
Adventure passed through
Florence last week on part of their
1,600-mile journey.
BIKE from page 1A
on July 10, all the way down
to San Diego, Calif., where
they will arrive on Aug. 8.
On day six of their tour,
July 15, the riders arrived
in Florence by way of New-
port, and were hosted by
the Presbyterian Church on
Highway 101 overnight.
“We’ve been supporting
the Fuller Center for a cou-
ple of years,” said Pastor
Greg Wood. “They come
through literally every
year, and they have another
group coming through in
August, the Florida-to-Flor-
ence group.”
The cross-country ride,
which is 10 weeks long, be-
gan in Amelia Island, Flor-
ida, in May, and ends here
in Florence, also on Aug.
8. The West Coast ride by
comparison is roughly four
weeks long, and riders travel
an average of 70 miles per
day for a total of 1,600 miles.
“They reached out to us,
and just being part of the
community, we said, ‘Sure,
come and stay,’” said Wood.
“Coastal Fitness also let
them come in for showers,
so it’s not just us, it’s a com-
munity experience.”
Communities like Flor-
ence are what have helped
the Fuller Center Bike Ad-
venture be successful since
its beginning.
Gary Schroeder, a rider
from California, has been
on nine rides so far with the
Fuller Center.
“It’s a fundraising bike
ride, and it’s a major fund-
raiser for the Fuller Center,”
he said. “Each rider has an
amount of donations de-
pending on the length of the
ride — not everybody rides
the whole way, you can pop
in for a week or two weeks,
so you’re not required to do
the whole thing. And the
length of your ride deter-
mines the funds that you
raise.”
The riders pay a registra-
tion fee to cover incidentals,
some meals and the gas for
the support vehicle.
“The money we raise can
all go directly to poverty
housing,” said Schroeder.
According to rider Alice
Myk of Illinois, who is in
her fourth year as a volun-
teer and rider with the Full-
er Center, “Ninety-seven
percent of our funds that we
raise, our donations we col-
lect, go back into the pool to
help the housing.”
“And normally, we build
along the way,” continued
rider Susan Pratt, who has
been on 13 rides with the
Fuller Center as a volunteer.
“Unfortunately,
because
of the pandemic, we’re not
building, but what I find
fascinating is you get riders
from all over the country.
Some of them have been
from Romania and Austra-
lia, and we’re strangers the
first day we meet, and by the
first week, you know every-
body.
“It’s a fantastic opportu-
nity. And because we sleep
on the floors at churches, we
meet the community as well.
This year is not so much be-
cause of the pandemic —
usually we try to present in
front of the community. But
at least we’re meeting the
pastor, the people, whatever
it might be.”
By
partnering
with
churches in the communi-
ties they ride through and
build for, the Fuller Center
riders can put the money
they would normally put
toward a cross-country trip
into donations used to build
homes for impoverished
families.
“I think of the approxi-
mately 20 churches we have
on this trip, 16 of them are
the same ones that we used
previously,” said Schroeder.
“And it is really fun, I think
they get a lot out of it by be-
ing part of the mission as
well.”
“Simply opening up their
buildings to us to allow us to
sleep on their floors and use
their facility is a big part of
this whole thing,” Myk con-
tinued.
Scott Baker of Connecti-
cut, who is on his sixth ride
with the Fuller Center said,
“It helps their community,
and it helps our communi-
ty.”
The group also noted the
generosity of people they
meet along the way through-
out their trips, with even
unhoused people or oth-
ers who have only change
to spare willingly donating
to the cause upon hearing
what the Fuller Center Bike
Adventure funds.
“Three years ago, going
across the country, we were
climbing over the peaks
of one of the passes,” said
Myk. “It was a struggle, it
was snowing and raining,
and we were all cold. Our
rest stop was at the top,
and when we got up there,
somebody had actually gone
down and brought coffee
back up to our rest stop for
us. We were just so thankful
of kind, generous people.
Coming from the outskirts
of Chicago, sometimes you
think everything’s rough
and tough, and you realize
the hospitality and the love
out there is so grand.”
For Schroeder, “I think
[other people along the
way] like being a part of it
the same way the churches
do. They feel like if they can
help us help somebody, then
they’re indirectly helping,
and it’s very reassuring to
find out that the world isn’t
all full of cynics. There are
people out there who really
care and step up when they
don’t have to, and it’s fun be-
ing a part of that.”
Indeed, the Fuller Center
is an organization who takes
caring to the next level.
For more information,
visit
www.fullercenter-
bikeadventure.org/.
Editor’s Note: Read more
about the Fuller Center Bike
Adventures in the next edi-
tion of the Siuslaw News.
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COAST REAL ESTATE
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2350 Hwy. 101, Florence • 541-997-4505
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Our mission is to unify and support all the arts, enrich
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Community
Support,
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Jim & Bonnie Johnston, Owners
2350 Hwy. 101, Florence • 541-997-4505