Two architectural engineering alumni from Drexel’s College of Engineering will be going the distance this summer in order to raise money and awareness for low-income family housing. Nathan Barry, class of 2014, and Stephen Wayland, class of 2013, will be participating in two separate long-distance bicycle tours. Barry will be riding with Bike & Build, an organization that hosts cross-country bicycle trips which benefit affordable housing groups. Wayland will be participating in Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia’s Ride for Homes 2015.
“I was working an unfulfilling job in Connecticut when I started to do research about doing something that I considered worthwhile. I talked with my friends; one had recently joined the Peace Corps and another that participated in the AmeriCorps program. Both of them said great things about them and they agreed that I would love either program. However, I wasn’t sure about the two-year commitment,” Barry explained. Then one of his friends mentioned Bike & Build. “After five minutes of research, I was hooked. It combined the three things that I was interested in: biking, helping someone, and building.”
The Bike & Build ride begins on May 23 and goes until August 5, taking a total of 75 days. Barry, along with 31 other young adults, will meet in Virginia Beach, VA for a two-day orientation. From there, they will travel 3,909 miles through 12 states until they reach their destination in Cannon Beach, OR. Riders can choose from several routes that Bike & Build offers. The route that Barry will follow is dubbed ‘Central US,’ traveling across Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, through the Heartland, and over the Rocky Mountains. Having done two cross-country road trips in the past with friends, Barry said that he’s looking forward to being able to get a ‘slow motion’ view of the scenery. “I’ve seen a lot of the country already, it’ll just be nicer to experience it at a slower pace,” he said. “I’m also really excited for the challenge of riding over the Rocky Mountains.”
Out of the 75 days, 11 are scheduled ‘Build Days.’ On these days, Barry and the fellow cyclists don’t ride at all but instead volunteer for other affordable housing programs, such as Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together. They’ll assist with anything from the construction of a house, the painting of an apartment, or any landscaping work that needs to be done at the time.
Being no rookie at fundraising, Barry was president of the Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) during his senior year at Drexel. He raised $28,000 to host the 2014 AEI National Student Conference, of which he was conference chair. Currently, he has raised half of his $4,500 fundraising requirement for Bike & Build through the donations of friends and family. He is now working on gaining sponsorships from local bike shops and is beginning to organize raffle events in the hope of raising the rest of his requirement.
Barry sees this journey as a first step towards using his life to benefit others. While working for a structural firm that designed luxury homes in Connecticut, Barry realized that he needed a change. “At first it was fun and interesting,” he explained, “but after a while I realized that I’m not helping anyone, I’m not contributing to society. People who have more money than they knew what to do with were hiring us to design these extraordinary homes with an even more extraordinary price tag. After living in West Philly and seeing the many struggles of the permanent residents, and then moving to Connecticut and seeing that type of lifestyle, I felt that something needed to be done.” While a student at the College of Engineering, Barry came to understand that, as an engineer, your goal is to benefit others. “Essentially, we were taught that engineers can truly have an impact on society. We often had lectures with topics of struggling, poor communities without sufficient water, or shelter, or bridges and how volunteer engineers contributed to a solution,” he said. “I took these lectures to heart. Although this trip doesn’t require an engineering degree, it is my starting point in making a difference.”
Stephen Wayland discovered Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia through Drexel’s Alternative Spring Break program, which he participated in three spring breaks in a row. The Alternative Spring Break program places teams of Drexel students in communities to engage in community service and experiential learning during their spring break. “I had done numerous Habitat programs with other affiliates, but I knew that Philly’s Habitat was the one that I could have the most impact in,” said Wayland. “I believe that it was Drexel’s position as an urban university that allowed me to really see that while there is great need in the world, and in Philadelphia in particular, there are also amazing groups of individuals who are out there every day making a difference”.
Ride for Homes 2015 is a four-day bike ride that supports Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia and raises awareness about affordable housing across Pennsylvania. The ride will begin on June 4 starting in Chestnut Hill, just outside of Philadelphia. From there, the riders will travel to Kutztown for the first day, Hershey the second day, and New Holland on the third day. On the fourth day, the riders will return to Philadelphia, totaling a distance of 250 miles. This, too, is a group ride, like Bike & Build; the maximum group size is 40 riders and registration is still open to join.
“The goal of this ride is to raise money for Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia, and bring a driven group of individuals together to raise awareness about affordable housing while having fun doing so,” Wayland explained. When asked if there is anywhere that he is really looking forward to riding through, he replied, “I am really excited to ride through the countryside, honestly. I have done so much city riding with cars and grit and buildings, it will be so nice to have trees whipping by instead of traffic lights.”
If you would like to sponsor Nathan Barry, or if you would like to track his progress, please click
here. To donate to Stephen Wayland, please click
here. Similarly, if you would like to join the Ride for Homes 2015, visit
http://www.habitatphiladelphia.org/rideforhomes to register.
Top-Right Photo: Nathan Barry