Hello and welcome to Pedaling for Humanity, my personal effort to raise $2000 for Habitat for Humanity by bicycling 500 miles in August.  I completed part of my goal by finishing my 500th mile on Saturday, August 29. By donating through this site, you can help me complete my fundraising goal. Your contribution will go directly to Habitat for Humanity without ever passing through my hands. It's fast, it's easy, and it will make you feel great. (Or, if you prefer, you can write a check to Habitat for Humanity, International and mail it to me. Just email me for my address).

So how did I come up with the crazy idea of raising money with a 15-year-old rust bucket of a bicycle? During a recent bicycle trip through the Flint Hills, I started thinking that surely more good could come of my effort than just keeping my aging body in something that resembles reasonably good health. What could I do to turn this into something much bigger? Then it dawned on me. I will pledge to bike 500 miles during the month of August, which is an average of roughly 16 miles per day, and you can share in the effort by donating to Habitat for Humanity through this fundraising page.

Why is this an important cause? If you're anything like me, chances are very good that you have always had a safe, comfortable place to live. Believe it or not, even that dump you lived in during college or grad school is a palace compared to the conditions that the vast majority of people in the world live in. Just imagine how hard it would be to raise a family, hold down a job, or enjoy life if you had to constantly worry about whether you even had a decent place to live. That's why Habitat for Humanity has undertaken an international effort to eliminate poverty housing.

Since its founding in 1976, Habitat for Humanity has provided over 300,000 safe, decent, and affordable homes for more than 1.5 million people around the world. But it's not a giveaway program. Homeowners must invest their own time and effort into helping build their new home. They must also make a down payment and monthly mortgage payments until the home is paid off, just like you probably do. But because of donations like yours and the efforts of millions of construction volunteers, home prices are kept low enough to make them affordable for people who would otherwise live in conditions that are completely unacceptable in this day and age of such tremendous wealth.

What's in this for me? Nothing. Seriously. No matter how much money I raise, I get nothing except the satisfaction of knowing that I helped steer people toward a great cause.

So please consider making a donation to Habitat for Humanity no matter what the amount. Every bit makes a difference in someone's life.