Fuller Center bikers roll through Aurora

The Casey’s parking lot on the corner of Highways 14 and 34 in Aurora July 1 became a pit stop for a chain of cyclists who were on their way to York.  
For one of the cyclists, Aurora wasn’t just one of the many pit stops he and the cyclists will be resting at, but was also a served as a family visit with his brothers.
Phil Oswald, who now lives in Sacramento, Calif., had joined cyclists taking part in Bicycle Adventures in Faith and Service. For 15 years, the project had been an extension of service provided by the Fuller Center for Housing, a Christian-centered organization which was founded by Millard Fuller and his wife, Linda, who founded Habitat for Humanity 29 years prior.
“One day a week, we stop and we rebuild homes or rehab homes for those who are struggling with poverty housing,” Oswald explained. 
The Fuller Center for Housing presents five adventures that would take place throughout the year which included Tour De Florida, Silver Comet (Smyrna, Ga. to Cedartown, Ga.), Seattle to D.C., Wild West (Columbia Falls, Mont. to Moab, Nev.) and Natchez Trace (Jackson, Ala. to Nashville). Seattle to D.C. is the longest adventure both in distance and in time taking place between May 24 and Aug. 4.
Cyclists taking part in the adventure will be traveling to various towns and cities throughout the United States to help build or repair homes for people in addition to raising money that would support families on a national and international level.
Traveling light on their bikes with only their water bottles and not relying on hotels, cyclists have to rely on churches for meals and a place to stay.
“The line they use to ‘live simply so others can simply live,’” Oswald commented. “What we do is we stay in churches, on hard floors. Sometimes people in those churches make a meal or something.”
While Oswald had only been traveling for a day with the cyclists since he began his journey in Kearney, several riders within the group that visited Aurora had been traveling since they began their journey in Seattle. One of the cyclists that has been with the group since the beginning is bicycle adventurer coordinator, Neil Mullikin.
“I felt it was a calling by God,” Mullikin said. “I was actually in finance before so I did that for 20 plus years and transitioned in 2021 to be a true coordinator for the Fuller Center.”
Cyclists have the option of participating in the full duration of the two-month adventure or joining in for certain segments of the trip.
“Currently we have 20 (cyclists) running well,” Mullikin said. “We have 18 going all the way across the United States and then we have riders joining us at different various points. We’ll have a total I think of 55 riders joining us all throughout the United States.”
A typical week for the riders begins on Monday where they would leave a major city to trek across the states to a city where the Fuller Center volunteers would be assisting in construction or repairs. 
“Our goal is to end poverty housing,” Mullikin explained. “We’ll build homes, will repair homes so people can stay in those homes and they pay back with zero interest.”
With one day dedicated to volunteering, the rest is spent traversing to different towns to reach an area in need of their service.
“We average about 70 miles a day and (July 1) is an 85 mile lane,” Mullikin commented. “We average about 70-72 miles a day somewhere in that area and we go from church to church across the United States.”
Alongside traveling to cities that are new to some cyclists, the bike adventures provide the opportunity for them to see remarkable sights throughout the country, such as Yellowstone, Rocky Mountain National Park and other landmarks that dot the American landscape.
While they travel six days in the week, Sundays are a time which the cyclists attend a church, often ones which have hosted the cyclists so they can regain their energy before their next trip. 
As expected in traveling on a road less traveled by their means, the journey always presents an obstacle for riders to face.
“Geography, wind and weather has been a challenge, but we haven’t had any days that have stopped us,” Mullikin said. “We’ve had mountains that have been over 12,000 feet. We’ve had some strong headwinds, we’ve had some rain and I know the rest of the country is talking about these bubbles of heat and we’ve had these bubbles of cold I feel like the whole way across so far.”
By sticking together in all kinds of weather, the beauty of the land and being able to provide the means for people to have a better life for others has made the Fuller Center’s adventures worthwhile each year according to Mullikin.
As part of their mission for as long as they are riding for Seattle to D.C., cyclists will be raising money to help meet the Fuller Center’s goal of $500,000 to help provide the supplies and construction for homes with each adventure and rider having their own individual goals.
Having only traveled for little over two weeks, Oswald has exceeded his goal of $1,000 with the total of $4,135.
For the overall goal of Seattle to D.C., riders have raised $202,421 within its $175,000, nearly making up half of Fuller Center Bike Adventures’ original goal of $500,000. The total for that currently sits at $713,901, exceeding the total amount raised last year according to Oswald.
“There’s no labor costs or interests and this kind of cost though because some of the materials and things are donated,” Mullikin explained. “So people are given a hand up not a handout, and when they pay it back, they’re not actually paying us back their extra paycheck.”
People can donate to Oswald and other riders participating in the Fuller Center Bike Adventure up until Sunday, Aug. 4 through its website at www.fullercenterbikeadventure.org.