Community Corner

Fairfield Native to Bike Across US This Summer

He'll also help build affordable housing as part of an initiative called "Bike & Build."

Like most college seniors, Dan Halpert, an environmental engineering student at Tufts University, is starting to think about his post-grad life: namely, scouring the market for a job.

But before he does that, Halpert -- a Fairfield native -- will bike 3,949 miles from Providence to Seattle, and help build affordable housing along the way.

Halpert is participating in Bike & Build, a project dedicated to raising awareness and funds for the affordable housing cause. Participants fundraise their way to take part in one of eight cross-country routes. Pre-journey money goes toward various charities, organizations, and grant applications that fund affordable housing projects.

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Thanks to friends, family, and a few fundraisers at school, Halpert has raised nearly half of his $4,500 goal, which must be reached prior to his June 13 departure.

“It’s quite an endeavor,” Halpert said of his goal. So is the trip.

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Cyclists will average 70 miles per day, six days a week, and all levels of biking ability are welcome. Each route comprises of different, weekly stops where the group will hop off their bikes and help build low-income housing and Habitat for Humanity projects.

Halpert, a graduate of , told Patch that he heard of Bike & Build from a Tufts friend who participated a few summers ago. He just couldn’t shake the idea after that.

“When else in my life will I be able to do something as novel as biking from one end of the United States to the others?” Halpert wrote in his “rider bio” on Bike & Build’s website. “Pairing this incredible experience with a more than deserving cause, affordable housing, made it too good to pass up.”

Halpert also wrote that living close to Bridgeport made him realize “how much we take for granted the simple pleasure of a roof over our heads and that affordable housing should be granted to every person, regardless of their socioeconomic standing.”

The “Build” days of Halpert’s trip start in Providence. His route group will then hit towns and cities in need in New York, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

Halpert had several cross-country routes to choose from when he decided to participate. Those included Providence to Seattle, Providence to San Francisco, Maine to Santa Barbara, North Carolina to San Diego, Florida to Santa Cruz, Calif., Virginia to Oregon, and New Hampshire to British Columbia.

He chose the Providence to Seattle route because his sister and her boyfriend live in Seattle.

“It will be nice to have that welcoming committee when I ride into Puget Sound,” Halpert said. He is set to arrive in Seattle on Aug. 21. He’ll take a well-deserved flight back east after spending time with his sister.

 

Editor’s Note: If you would like to support Halpert and help him reach his fundraising goal, there are two ways to do it. You can visit Halpert’s Rider Bio page on Bike & Build and click the blue “Donate” button. Checks can be made payable to “Bike & Build” and mailed to Bike and Build, 6109 Ridge Avenue, Bldg. 2, Philadelphia, PA 19128. Be sure to write “Dan Halpert” in the memo line. Those interested in following Halpert on his journey should check out his website.


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