Hey hey everyone! Well, here is round two of the bios because somehow I managed to lose the 1st run! Ahhh technology!!! Hehehe...
Anyway... My name is Britt Simmerman and I am a junior at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, Indiana. I am a pre-professional major, soccer player, and involved to the point of (fun) madness. :) I first heard about Bike and Build when the CUS group came pedaling through my hometown of Bedford, Indiana two summers ago. Ever since that time, I had been very curious as to what B & B was all about so I did my research. At first I knew it was something that sounded like an amazing experience, but never knew if I would have the chance to participate. However, after almost 2 years of thinking about it, I decided, "Hey, if you can't get it off your mind, it probably means you are meant to go for it." So... here I am!
My background in volunteering starts out with my wonderful experiences at the Limestone Girls Club in Bedford, IN where I have officiated, tutored, and volunteered since I was 13 years old. Some of my best memories are of being a "Club girl." Since being in college, I have participated in Habitat for Humanity builds. Probably the greatest push I received to start raising money for the affordable housing cause came on a spring break mission trip in March of 2009 with about 20 other women from SMWC. We traveled to Franklin and New Orleans, LA to join forces with Southern Mutual Help's Rural Recovery Task Force. It was one of the most life changing weeks of my life. We spent the week shoveling sand into foundations, putting up drywall, and doing anything and everything we could to help people whose homes had been torn apart by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike. To give you a sense of what I was feeling upon my return, here's a little bit from my book:
"Although we have to leave, these people will stay. They stay despite the bombardment of the hurricanes’ winds. They stay despite the flooding and the destruction. They stay despite every other horrible effect that might make a person give up. This is their home. I can’t imagine losing the only place I had ever known. It’s so easy to say that we would just pack it up, head out, and start over, but would it really be that easy? We met a woman who, like so many others, had lived in the same house for decades, in the same town where her entire family had lived for a century. She raised her children in that house, she lost her husband to illness in that house, she prayed and lived and became an integral part of her community in that house. How do you let memories like that go? This woman had a mentally handicapped child who is now in her thirties. This woman drove the school bus for children like her daughter. My group was working on the house of her daughter’s special education teacher. Everyone and everything is so incredibly interconnected. These people are not looking for a handout and they are most certainly not lazy or unappreciative. These people just need help to continue living life as they were before. If we were in the same situation, would we not want the same? Just to go back to some semblance of 'normal?' "
I realized upon my return home that there are soooooo many people across the country who are in this same predicament. It's not just New Orleans. It's not just some other state or town or country that has issues. We have issues right here in our own backyards and we ALL have to step up. I believe each and every one of us is capable of changing the world for the better.
I am excited to bike across the country raising awareness for this great cause. I am incredibly overwhelmed by the thought of spending over 2 months and over 3000 miles on the saddle of a bike. It will truly be the greatest physical and mental test of my life. I am ready for the challenge and to prove that anything is possible as long as you believe. I am most inspired to do this by my 2 nieces and 5 nephews- they are my absolute world. I want to show them that there is no such thing as "too hard," "too crazy," or "too impossible." I crave their childlike enthusiasm and hope that I never lose my own.
I'll leave you with my all-time favorite quote:
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing." -Helen Keller.
Welcome to my daring adventure! Glad to have you along for the ride! WOOHOO!!!
Peace and love to all,
Britt.
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