Homeownership is probably not the first thing on your mind when you hop on your bike. You might think of the route you’ve mapped, or the sun on your skin, or the push of one pedal after another — not homeownership. However, as we gear up for our Cycle of Hope ride this fall, it’s the first thing on ours.
That’s because Cycle of Hope – our premier benefit ride on November 3rd – means more than welcoming our riders across the finish line. It means welcoming more families home. And while our cyclists are out on course – whether that’s the 12-mile beginner ride or the challenging Century – the road they travel isn’t the only journey they’re riding for.
Habitat families know that homeownership isn’t just a milestone, or a state of being. It’s a journey. Not unlike undertaking a cycling event, it’s one they’ve traveled with preparation, motivation, hard work, sweat, and a whole lot of perseverance. It’s pushing through difficult places, always with the future in view.
It’s that pushing that Rose, Habitat homeowner in San Pablo, knows well, recalling how she nearly gave up on the Habitat application process while juggling work, college, three children, and a constantly shifting, overcrowded living situation. “I really don’t even know how I made it through that time,” she remembers. “Sometimes I just have to take time to appreciate Habitat and the people who’ve helped me. I had given up, but they just jolted me and reminded me: ‘Wait, this is possible!’”
It’s motivation that never escapes Lourdes, Habitat homeowner in Santa Clara. “We have a better chance now,” she says. “A chance to do better, to do more. It’s a totally different life that we have now, with the house.”
And it’s hard work that Julieta will always remember, as she recently became a Habitat homeowner in Fremont. She overhauled her financial habits with Habitat’s Housing Counseling Program in order to qualify for our Homeownership Program, and then the hammering began. “I never thought I could say I’m building my own home,” she recalls. “That was impossible in my mind. Knowing that I’ve come this far.”
So, when you register for Cycle of Hope, remember that you’re on more than one journey. Your road ahead paves so many more roads, paths that Habitat families will walk with strength, stability, and self-reliance. So, gear up and join us on November 3rd for Cycle of Hope. The journey ahead might push us, but we’ll ride through it as a community. And the view from the finish will be more than worth it. That’s because we’re riding for a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Together, we ride.
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