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Contents : FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Faith Fuller (229) 924-7130 ffuller@fullercenter.org www.fullercenter.org Bikers build where it all began Americus Ga. (Aug. 10 2009) Becky Acton of Americus swatted gnats with one hand while she scraped paint off of Julia Tyner's house in Americus with the other. But despite the gnats and the 94-degree heat she and 15 other participants of the Fuller Center Bike trip worked Monday alongside local volunteers on the Americus-Sumter County Fuller Center project. Monday was the seventh build day of their five-week cross country bike trip. The main goal of the annual bike event is to raise awareness and funds for the Fuller Center for Housing. The bikers arrived Saturday in Americus after four weeks of averaging 50 miles a day on bike. By the end the bikers will spend eight days throughout the trip volunteering on Fuller Center Covenant Partner build sites across the country like the one in Americus. The bikers worked all day to remove paint from the exterior of Tyner's home on Hampton Street. Tyner lives with her three sons and came briefly to the work site to meet the bikers before she had to leave to attend to a family emergency. She got emotional talking about the volunteers. "It's going to make me teary-eyed " she said. "I just really appreciate everything the Fuller Center's doing to help me and my kids." This weekend Tyner and her brother a friend and her sons hope to add primer and finish the painting on her home. But she said it already looks better. She says the Fuller Center is helping her with painting insulation central heating and air and much needed roof repairs. She will be paying The Fuller Center for the repairs through a no-interest loan money which will go toward helping another family in need. If it weren't for the Fuller Center's program the repairs would have been impossible for Tyner a single mother on a limited income. "I have the fullest gratitude " says Tyner. This year's Bike Adventure trip the event's second year attracted many more bikers than last year according to trip founder and leader Ryan Iafigliola. Seventeen cyclists in all are doing the entire ride from Michigan to Florida 1 300 miles total. Many more are joining up along the way for shorter stints. Tamara Danel arrived in Americus this weekend from Hammond La. to ride the final 300 miles. Danel is a member of The Fuller Center board of directors and serves as vice president to a Fuller Center Covenant Partner in Louisiana. "Americus is a special place because of the history. Koinonia farm seems like sacred ground " Danel said. "It's really cool to be able to start the ride in the place where Habitat and the Fuller Center both started." Sunday was one of two days throughout the trip the bikers planned to rest. They were fed and taken in by local churches but managed to avoid much downtime instead spending the day learning the history of the affordable housing movement. They visited President Jimmy Carter's church in Plains Koinonia Farm and spent the evening at the home of Fuller Center Co-founder Linda Fuller. "Seeing all those connections really has helped me see Americus in a new light and feel privileged to be able to live here where it all began " Acton said. She works at Habitat for Humanity in Americus. Krystal Goodwin of Illinois has been along on the entire trip. "We've kind of gotten the whole story from traveling and meeting the people who've been touched directly by this organization. It's really neat to come here towards the end of the ride because it all comes together. It's like the capstone for the trip." The bikers were to pedal off again today heading out for their final leg of the journey to the coast in Florida. They have one build left in Tallahassee. If you would like to join the riders for a day ride or donate or learn more go to www.FullerCenter.org or FullerCenterBikeTrip.com. ### About The Fuller Center for Housing The Fuller Center for Housing is a non-profit Christian organization that promotes collaborative and innovative partnerships with individuals organizations corporations and groups of all faiths in an unrelenting quest to provide adequate shelter for all people in need. To learn more about The Fuller Center for Housing visit www.fullercenter. org.

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