From Workshop to Finish Line

September 15, 2021 Volunteer

Blog-COH-Playhouse-Team-300x400Giulia wasn’t thinking about routes and mileage and elevation gains when she became a Habitat volunteer. She was simply exploring a new volunteer activity on that spring day back in 2019 when she did her first shift at Habitat’s Oakland Playhouse Workshop. On her mind was learning some new skills, meeting great people, and of course, supporting affordable housing. It was clear from that very first day, though, that Giulia was destined to be a Regular Volunteer.

Since then, Giulia has indeed become a fixture at the workshop and leading crews at Playhouse builds. She’s become an indispensable extension of the Playhouse team when it comes to supporting the crew, so it’s only natural that when Cycle of Hope rolled around (pun intended), Giulia decided to take part as a member of – you guessed it! – Team Playhouse.

“I ride to support Habitat’s fantastic work addressing one of the most basic needs of the community: decent housing for everyone."

Giulia’s riding the Moderate Route this year, taking on 37 miles and a few hefty hills along with the beautiful views the course offers. It’s a departure from the usual way she pitches in at Habitat, but it’s not too out of the ordinary for active Giulia, who loves an ambitious hike or a long walk. So for her, riding Cycle of Hope as part of the Team Playhouse serves a dual purpose.

“I ride to support Habitat’s fantastic work addressing one of the most basic needs of the community: decent housing for everyone,” Giulia says. “But I also ride to challenge myself with a route more difficult than my usual strolls, so the company of friends will help!”

LEARN MORE ABOUT CYCLE OF HOPE

Giulia found that other Playhouse Program volunteers agreed - there's power (and community) in numbers. And so, Team Playhouse was born.

Giulia’s is just one story of someone who loves to challenge herself, get active, be a part of a community, and do something about the housing crisis – and found a way to accomplish all of that by forming a Cycle of Hope team. And for all the good work Habitat does, and all the great cardio she’ll get out of it, at the end of the day, Giulia says, “I participate in Cycle of Hope because it’s a fun ride and a social event with like-minded people!”

Curious about how to get your own like-minded band of cyclists together for Cycle of Hope? Learn how!

 

 

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