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Cycling for Affordable Housing If junior Laura Maki could change one thing about the modern world, she would reduce the amount of time people work. Why? “I think that everyone would benefit from having more free time to volunteer or to do things that they have always wanted to do, like ride a bicycle across the country.” With her free time this past summer, that’s exactly what this Claremont, N.H. resident did. In a journey of over 4,000 miles from Portsmouth, N.H. to Vancouver, British Columbia, Laura biked through the rain, sun, and snow. Spending over eight hours a day on a bicycle seat for a total of 58 days, she traveled through the Adirondacks, the Rockies, and the Cascades. Nights were spent sleeping in churches or complete strangers’ houses, while on more than one occasion she had to beg the locals for food. But all the sweat, pain, and toil weren’t for naught. In the end, she, along with 29 fellow bikers, helped raise over half a million dollars for affordable housing initiatives through the Bike & Build organization. And for breaks, they spent their time building houses for Habitat for Humanity. While this kind of dedication to a cause may seem unusual, it isn’t for Laura. This interdisciplinary studies major with a concentration in art and communications spent approximately 658 hours volunteering in high school alone—an accomplishment that earned her the title of a Make a Difference Scholar at Green Mountain College. As Laura reflects, “volunteering is rewarding because it gives me a good environment to learn many new skills and it gives me the opportunity to meet new people and gain new experiences, in addition to it being just plain fun.” Laura also sees her commitment to community service as an inspiration for others. “I hope that by continuing to volunteer I can show my friends and family how much enjoyment I get from it and that they will be enthusiastic to pursue their own dreams.” While Laura is unsure of what she will do when she graduates from college, she knows that her passion for community service will never dwindle. “I’m interested in doing as much volunteer work as possible. There are just so many paid positions that are not rewarding at all—and so much volunteer work that is incredibly so.” Most of all, however, she’d like to tandem bike across the country. All she needs is someone to ride with. By Nicole Ainsworth '09
