First United Methodist Church of Kosciusko was a place of rest and refreshment for 50 bicyclists riding the 440-mile Natchez Trace to raise funds for the Fuller Center for Housing, an organization that raises funds for and completes housing projects for those in need.
Along this route, the group had made one stop where they removed a wheelchair ramp from one home, installed wheelchair ramps in two other homes, and replaced the roof at a fourth home.
According to trip leader Elliott Walda, the Fuller Center supports housing projects around the world.
“We’re just a community of real people trying to help out anywhere we can,” said Walda, who said the group does several fundraising bicycle adventures per year. The Natchez Trace trip is actually one of the shorter routes.
They do a winter ride referred to as the Tour d’Florida, as well as a 3,400-mile ride from Seattle, Washington, to Washington, D.C. that includes seven build days, where they plan to do housing work in communities along their route. The Parks ‘n’ Peaks trip, which consists of a 4,000-mile loop, starts and ends in Portland, Oregon.
“Ninety-eight percent of our money goes back into actually helping people,” said Walda. While some of the funds go to projects they do themselves, they also fund interest-free loans for people to fix or build homes, as well as support global builders who create housing in the poorest countries of the world.
