Jillian Zingale
Huntington, NY
Lesley University

Last 5 blog entries: Trying to catch up. . . June 3-5 First update from the road. . . Mail Drops It's April! (almost)

Show latest update from from Jillian 's blog Trying to catch up. . . Oklahoma City Builds We spent two days building in OKC. Habitat there was awesome. They did a great job organizing all of us. We framed a house, and then ate donated Chipotle burritos for lunch. Our host site was small, and most of us hose showered because we were impatient. The second build day we did a number of things. We sodded, framed, sided, and worked on about 6 different houses in their awesome development. It was great. Breakfast and dinner were provided both days, and I made friends with a couple of Habitat caravanners who took me to see their RV and their dog. Fort Smith, AR to Henryetta, OK STATE LINE DAY! Today I started off riding in front of Melissa and Preston. They caught me about 8 miles in and said that one of our riders had gotten hit by a car. They didn?t have any info because there was already too many people on the side of the road. But the police were there, and an ambulance had been called. We rode up to the state line in complete silence, when Melissa finally heard back from T-Hall. Scott was hit, but he was luckily fine. The car was not, and neither was his bike. He ended up riding the rest of the day on Travis? bike. We were all a little shaken up after that, but glad everyone was ok. Today we had $ stops! B$?s dad is following us through Oklahoma and setting up additional stops for us. It?s awesome. JUNE 17, Little Rock (Day Off) We basically explored Little Rock. I needed to get to a bike shop, so I didn?t do as much as everyone else did. But I did go to the Clinton Presidential Museum, and ate awesome Pad Thai for lunch that I couldn?t finish because I was so full. I also switched out my derailer and cog. It now has about 32 gears, and hopefully will be easier on my knees. JUNE 16, Stuttgart, AR to Little Rock, AR. Today was interesting. B$ and Michael Carroll were sweep. I started out the day lost, and called them to let them know. They of course had no idea where to turn because they were still at breakfast. So I waited for them and they pointed me in the right direction. Hooray for being directionally challenged! Then I got a flat, and needed tubes. We pumped up one, but it didn?t work so I needed another. Then my tire was rubbing. We stopped to fix the brakes, but it was the wheel, which was not tru, that was causing the problem. Travis trued it for me at lunch and we kept moving. JUNE 13, Tupelo, MS Today was a build day in Tupelo, MS with Habitat for Humanity. We arrived at the build site where there was a cinderblock frame of the house. We poured some concrete, laid floor supports, and finally got to nailing the base plywood flooring down to the ground. It was 97 degrees out with a heat index of 110!

Jillian 's bio: Hello Everyone!  I am so excited for this ride! It's going to be a great summer.  I am currently a senior at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA.  I grew up in Huntington, New York.              I am a member of the Lesley University tennis team.  Last year, I was on the crew team but our team got cut because of the expense.  At the beginning of last year, I purchased a bicycle.  I have been riding it around Cambridge and Boston since then, though I have not had much experience with long-distance rides.                    Habitat for Humanity is one of my favorite organizations.  I really enjoy the cause, and working with the owners of the homes, as well as the actual building.  I am looking forward to volunteering with them every Thursday this semester.  I love meeting new people.  I can’t wait to learn more about other affordable housing groups.  My passion for affordable housing was first discovered on a high school trip in 2005.  I spent a week in Appalachia, at a wonderful place called Nazareth Farm where we did home repair.  Since then, I have been looking for ways to improve housing for people.  Last January, I volunteered at Naz Farm again because I had so much fun the first time, and this summer I volunteered for six weeks at an organization called Bethlehem Farm in West Virginia.  It was a wonderful experience, where I learned all about sustainability and home repair.  At Lesley, I volunteer at Lesley Delivers, which delivers food to homeless people on the streets of Cambridge.  It is amazing to hear their stories, and has really taught me a lot about some of the problems in this country.  With today’s economy, it is really important that we work together to help each other, and Bike and Build is a great organization that helps with the basic need of shelter. I love kids and animals.  I am studying to be a teacher, but don’t really know what I will end up doing.  I enjoy community service so much, that I just might volunteer for the rest of my life! (just kidding, I need to pay rent somehow!).  But I do enjoy working with non-profit and not-for-profit agencies.  I love biking, and think that I am up for this challenge! I can't wait to start training!By participating in this cause, I hope to gain a new sense of awareness about myself.  I want to become a better person, and help out more.  I can’t wait to see so much of the country, as well! I’ve never really left the east coast. I’m excited to learn how I can be of more help to this country and to society, and maybe come a little closer to deciding what I want to be when I grow up.  I want to prove to myself that anything is possible, and I can do this!

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