| College students stop in Green River as they continue a 4,000-mile trek to raise awareness for Habitat for Humanity. |
As part of a 4,000 mile trek to raise money and awareness for Habitat for Humanity, a group of 28 college students biked through Utah while en route from New Haven, Conn. to San Francisco, Calif.
The riders cross-country route took them through Southern Utah, making overnight stops in Moab, Green River, Torrey, Escalante, Panguitch and Milford. The group approached 3,500 miles biked on this leg of their 58 stop journey, which began June 1 and will culminate on Aug. 3 as they cross the Golden Gate Bridge. Now in its ninth year, the Habitat Bicycle Challenge aims to raise over $150,000 yearly for Habitat building projects as well as to spread Habitat’s mission of ending poverty housing.
Each year a new group of approximately 60 students- 30 on a Northern route that ends in Seattle and 30 on a Southern route to San Francisco- embark from New Haven on this journey, biking anywhere from 35 to 120 miles each day. Each rider must raise at least $3,500 before the trip begins to be eligible to participate.
In addition to spreading awareness of Habitat for Humanity, the groups also take three days out of their trip to contribute to Habitat house builds across the country.
Since 1976, Habitat has provided housing for over 350,000 people by building more than 100,000 houses in more than 80 countries, including some 30,000 houses across the United States. For more information about the Habitat Bicycle Challenge, including a daily journal from the trip, visit www.yale.edu/habitat.