Cyclists pedal around to aid building crews

By Elise Mckeown Skolnick

In Youngstown, they’re staying at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

YOUNGSTOWN — Bicycle-riding and building houses don’t seem to go together. But for the youths involved with Bike & Build, the two fit perfectly.

About 250 people between the ages of 18 and 25 will spend the summer biking across the country, stopping in various locations along the way to help build affordable housing.

Thirty-two of them stopped on the West Side on Saturday.

They average 70 to 80 miles a day on their bikes, said Danny McGee, 24. He left his Washington, D.C., general-contracting job to participate in the project.

“I love it. It’s amazing. There’s no better way that I can spend my summer,” McGee said.

The project combines two things he enjoys: building and bike-riding. But in the two weeks he’s been on the road, he’s come to enjoy the people.

“We always take back roads, so we’re not usually in big cities. We go to a church, and everybody in the town kind of shows up,” McGee explained. “There’s a lot of support that I guess I didn’t expect at first. I was more interested in the athletic and the building aspect of it. But I really like the people aspect of it right now. It’s been a lot of fun.”

The group started out in Providence, R.I., and will end in Seattle, Wash. They spend their nights in churches and schools. They stop at one location every week to help build affordable housing. In Youngstown, they’re staying at St. John’s Episcopal Church.

Sporting blue T-shirts and sunburned skin, the group worked on landscaping and replacing the roof at a Habitat for Humanity home at 3103 Oregon Ave. They also worked on the front and back doors of a Habitat home next door.

The 3103 Oregon Ave. home has been vacant for about six months, said Sonny Bruno, construction coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning County. The previous occupant moved. It worked out perfectly for the group to work on the damaged doors at the home next door, Bruno said.

Saskia DeVries, 21, of Seattle, Wash., was looking for a service-oriented venture after graduating from college and before starting a job. Bike & Build was her answer.

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure I could do it at the beginning, De-Vries said. “But it’s been amazing. Everyone is so supportive. It’s like a giant slumber party every night and great team-building experience.”

She had no experience building houses and limited bike-riding under her belt. But she’s amazed at what she, and the others, can do.

“We’re putting an entire roof together in one day,” she said.

The Philadelphia-based Bike & Build is a nonprofit organization that organizes bicycle trips. Participants support the affordable housing cause through fund raising and building efforts. Since 2003, more than 750 young adult volunteers have participated and contributed more than $1.6 million to housing groups such as Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together.

Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning County is a nonprofit builder of affordable homes. HFHMC has built more than 30 homes in Mahoning County. Two more will be completed next month.