Student pedaling to helphim fulfill a lifelong dream

Cross-country journey will

benefit Habitat for Humanity
By:Sally Goldenberg
   College senior Brian Sherman decided to get acquainted with Mother Nature when he graduates in May from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Putting off the typical, frantic post-grad job search for a few months, Mr. Sherman will bike across America as part of an awareness and money-raising campaign for the international charity program Habitat for Humanity Inc.
   "This is my gift to myself — my last hoorah," said the Township Line Road resident.
   Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven started the Habitat Bicycle Challenge 10 years ago. Participants in this year’s challenge, which is organized by college students, must raise at least $3,500 each to travel 4,000 miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
   During the bike trip, the 60 participants will educate communities about the 27-year-old international charity that works to eradicate poverty housing and build or rehabilitate homes for impoverished families. The organization also helps families become homeowners through no-profit sales of homes and interest-free loans.
   Mr. Sherman, who enjoys mountain biking, said the physical activity and charitable cause of the bike trip will motivate him to keep on pedaling for nine weeks.
   "You get the best of both worlds," he said. "You get to raise money for a good cause and I get to fulfill my dream I guess — I get to bike across America."
   Mr. Sherman decided he wanted to take a cross-country bike trip two years ago, but could not afford to do it on his own. Other than raising $4,000, he said, the challenge is free for the students participating, who will stay in churches and community centers.
   To date, Mr. Sherman said he raised $550 from family and friends, and is seeking corporate donations in his stomping grounds and surrounding areas. He said the task of raising $4,000 seems daunting, but he is not worried about falling short just yet.
   "I’m a little worried, but not too worried," he said. Wheel Life in Belle Mead has tentatively promised him a donation, he added.
   The students will periodically break from cycling to help other Habitat chapters build homes.
   Yale University senior Miriam Seifter, who co-organized the event and will ride for the second time, called the bike tour a "liberating experience" for many recent college graduates who have some free time.
   "The vast majority of our riders are doing it for the first time," she said. "For the most part, this’ll be a very new experience for them. You see places of the country you would never plan to travel to."
   Mr. Sherman said he is looking forward to embarking on an adventure that is slated to raise $180,000. "I’m excited," he said. "I’ve been wanting to bike across America forever."