Bike and Build group comes to Valley

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Thirty-four young adults on their way from Providence, R.I., to Seattle ∫ are stopping in the city Sunday through Tuesday to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning Valley.

The group is part of Bike & Build, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young adults and benefiting the cause of affordable housing through service-oriented cycling trips, according to a Habitat news release.

During the past 13 years, Bike & Build has donated more than $5.1 million, built for more than 185,000 hours, pedaled more than 8.5 million miles, and engaged more than 2,250 young adults in spreading the word about the affordable housing crisis in America.

While in Youngstown, the volunteers will be staying at St. John’s Episcopal Church and showering at the Jewish Community Center and the downtown YMCA.

On Monday, they will be in Austintown helping with the Habitat rehabilitation house on Lake Road. They will be painting, dry walling, insulating and doing yard work.

In 2015, Habitat Mahoning Valley received an $8,000 grant from Bike & Build to help increase opportunities for teens and young adults on housing projects. Habitat even has a past Bike & Build participant, Colin Penney, employed as the program director. Penney participated in the ride and build day in Youngstown in 2011 and started working for HFHMV in 2012.

For information about the event, volunteering, and donating, contact Habitat for Humanity of Mahoning Valley, 330-743-7244, ext. 302, volunteer@habitatmahoning.org or www.bikeandbuild.org.