Gearing Up
Sonya Hirsch recalled the first time her father let go of the bike as she rode without training wheels at a high school track near her house.
‘I was probably about 5 or 6 years old, and I was all decked out in elbow and knee pads and safety gear because my dad’s an emergency room doctor,’ she said.
This summer, she’s putting those skills to use.
Hirsch, a 5th year music and biology major at Syracuse University from Setauket, N.Y., is taking part in a program called Bike & Build. The goal of the trip is to end poverty housing through fundraising and cycling trips that raise awareness for the cause.
But Hirsch isn’t the only SU student involved. After learning about Bike & Build, she approached her friend Dylan Smith to see if he’d be interested. Smith, a 5th year architecture major from DeWitt, N.Y., couldn’t wait to jump on board.
‘I talked to (Sonya) about it, and it sounded really cool,’ Smith said. ‘I was interested in the building part of it too, because I’m in the School of Architecture. I also wanted to just get out and see the country.’
Hirsch and Smith have known each other since freshman year.
Hirsch was in Old Forge, N.Y., last summer when she saw a group of young adult bikers wearing identical red jerseys. A few days later, she was on a travel Web site and discovered pictures of people wearing the exact same jersey. After learning about Bike & Build, Hirsch said she knew instantly she wanted to participate in the program.
‘Biking across the country is something that I never really thought I would be doing,’ she said. ‘But to see this opportunity and the affordable housing cause involved with it was exciting. I volunteer a lot, and to combine cycling and something like supporting affordable housing together, that’s the coolest experience ever.’
The ride is scheduled to begin May 15 in Virginia Beach and end in Cannon Beach, O.R. on July 25, which happens to be Hirsch’s birthday.
Hirsch’s father, Kenneth Hirsch, said the only thing his daughter wanted for her birthday last year was a road bike, and she seems very excited about the idea of biking across the country.
‘Sonya’s always been one to meet challenges, and she’s also always been a very charitable, altruistic person,’ he said. ‘Something like this fulfills both of those qualities. She gets the chance to have a great adventure and ride across the country and do good along the way.’
Brendan Newman, the program director for Bike & Build, said the program has raised $1.14 million for affordable housing since its inception in 2003.
‘One of the great appeals to college students is the adventure aspect combined with helping a good cause,’ he said. ‘Participants share similar interests, and they’re all very dedicated individuals. We hope this program gets them involved in community service, and we want them to stay involved for the rest of their lives.’
The two will ride the Central U.S. route, which includes 10 build days and a scheduled 3,804 miles of riding. This route is one of seven offered to 18 – 25 year olds by Bike & Build.
Preparation for the trip includes intense physical training, which Smith completes at Gold’s Gym in DeWitt and Hirsch at Archbold Gymnasium. In addition to physical preparation, each rider must raise at least $4,000 to finance food, lodging and the affordable housing service component of the program.
Smith, a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity and a student working on his thesis, is most excited about traveling from coast to coast, visiting his sister in Oregon and helping with the building aspect of the program.
‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to comment on the design of the houses, but it’ll definitely be a good experience,’ he said. ‘My work is mostly with socially responsible housing, so that’s why this interests me. It just sounds like an opportunity that really only comes around once.’
Karen Kirkhart, Smith’s mother and a professor in the SU College of Human Ecology, said her son has always participated in service projects and was looking for a way to mark his graduation.
‘I think it’s a very exciting program,’ she said. ‘This is like a road trip, only better because it’s more fun, and they’ll be able to do great things across the country.’
To Hirsch, there’s no better opportunity. When she tells people of her summer plans, they usually aren’t surprised because she has participated in similar service projects in the past, she said. She traveled to Jonestown, Miss. with Syracuse Habitat for Humanity Youth United, is a member of Syracuse University Ambulance and serves as a campus orientation leader.
‘I tend to get myself into things like this, and I don’t realize until the last day or a week after it’s done how big of a thing I really just did,’ she said. ‘I’m definitely looking forward to working on housing projects at different stages and just being able to say I had that biking and service experience.’
Published on February 14, 2008 at 12:00 pm
