Alumna Lauren Svymbersky returned this summer from biking across the country to raise money and awareness for affordable housing.

The trip marked Svymbersky’s first time participating in Bike & Build, a national nonprofit that raises money and awareness for affordable housing.

Svymbersky’s trip lasted from May 11 to July 23 and she traveled more than 3,500 miles with 27 other bikers. She said the members of the trip were split into groups of two to six people.

Each person had to raise $4,500 before he or she could leave for the trip. This money will go toward sustaining each of the bikers during the trip and affordable housing.

“We never paid to sleep anywhere, even if that meant camping for a night. We asked for food donations regularly. We showered with hoses or in YMCA’s that would take us, because every penny we saved on the trip was more of our raised money going toward the affordable housing cause,” Svymbersky said.

Justin Villere, Bike & Build’s director of operations and outreach, said each group had trip leaders.

“These are four individuals who are young adults just like Lauren, but commit to extra time pre-trip and during the journey to set up our host sites, build days, food donations and other logistics,” Villere said.

Svymbersky said a typical riding day had her waking up between 4-6 a.m.

“We packed up our Therm-a-Rests, sleeping bags and other belongings into our bags and loaded them into the trailer that supported us,” Svymbersky said. “Depending on your assigned chore, you either made breakfast, helped make the host building spotless, packed the trailer, filled the water and Gatorade coolers or got a thank-you note signed by everyone to give to the host, among your personal things to do to get ready to ride.”

The bikers rode 40 to 110 miles a day.

“We stopped for a lunch along the way wherever the van and trailer were parked on the side of the road with our bins of bread and peanut butter,” Svymbersky said. “If the day was 90 miles or 90 degrees or hotter, we had two lunches or a lunch and an extra hydration stop to fill up.”

Svymbersky said the bikers arrived at their host, showered, were provided dinner or prepared rice and beans for themselves and then went to bed. They would do it all over again the next day.

The bikers rode for 10 weeks, and they stopped to build 14 days out of the 10 weeks in towns across the route.

Svymbersky said a build day had the bikers waking up at 7 a.m., getting dressed in building shirts and shorts, arriving on the building site and doing anything they were asked to do.

“We were 27 eager hands and we could get a lot done,” Svymbersky said. “We tore down and re-roofed an entire house in a day twice. We built all the first floor walls to the house in a day.”

Svymbersky said her family and friends were very supportive and integral in her raising the $4,500 it took to participate.

During her trip, they sent her care packages along the way and she spoke with them as often as possible.

Svymbersky said the experience has been amazing.

“I have 26 new family members, a re-appreciation for America’s beauty both physically and within the people that make up this country that supported us along the way. It made me realize how happy I can be helping other people,” Svymbersky said.

Villere said Bike & Build is proud of the work its riders do to support the affordable housing cause.

“They have a great story to tell, and we want to make sure Lauren’s fellow students know the hard work she went through both during the trip and during her pre-trip work fundraising and building with her local affordable housing affiliates,” Villere said.