Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LANETT – Spirits were high as cyclists from all over rest after they finished another leg of a 10-week ride from Amelia Island, Florida, to Florence, Oregon. The riders representing the Fuller Center, a nonprofit organization focused on eliminating homelessness, ride in all weather conditions to stop at designated locations and participate in homebuilding efforts in communities across the country.

The annual rides have been taking place since 2008, created by Ryan Iafigliola as a way to help spread the word about the program, raise funds and assist local Fuller Centers. Iafigliola was inspired by Millard and Linda Fuller’s walks in the 1980s, modeling the bike rides after the fundraising walks.

“When Millard Fuller reviewed it, he said, ‘I love it. And there’s one phrase I like the most, and that’s the word annual,'” explained ride leader Neil Mullikin.

Rides are funded through a combination of registration fees and supplemental contributions from various churches and hosts along the route, which help keep travel costs low for the riders. Each rider who completes the cross-country journey will raise $5,600, with 15 riders currently participating and more scheduled to join at other stops. The overall total funds raised throughout the trip are expected to be between $150,000 and $160,000.

The outreach program spreads the word about the Fuller Center’s efforts to other riders, aiming to inspire them to join in the efforts to end homelessness.

Since 2008, the Fuller Center’s bicycle adventures have raised over $6 million. Multiple annual bike rides are conducted throughout the year with varying distances and destinations.

Riders from the current trip must travel 70 miles daily for each leg of their trip before stopping to rest, keeping them on a tight schedule. The riders will be stopping for build days in Americus, Georgia; Ringgold, Tennessee; Mayfield, Kentucky; Eldon, Missouri; and Madras, Oregon. On Monday, June 2, they also participated in a build day with the Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project.

The riders are attempting to maximize community engagement by journeying through various regions of the country, seeking to draw attention to the issue of homelessness while doing their part to eradicate it through their building efforts. The riders also aim to raise awareness of the Fuller Center’s overall mission.

“The Fuller Center for Housing, faith-driven and Christ-centered, promotes collaborative and innovative partnerships with individuals and organizations in an unrelenting quest to provide adequate shelter for all people in need worldwide.” As stated by the Fuller Center’s Website.

Riders make travel arrangements upon completion of the trip for the return journey home, with some continuing on further for a ride to Alaska.