Hi, my name is Cameron Blake and I am thrilled to be biking across America for a good cause!
I am a third year at the University of Virginia majoring in Systems Engineering and minoring in Engineering Business. I am 21 years old and was born in Maryland and lived in Jacksonville, Florida for a while before moving to Centreville, Virginia.
I am a member of the triathlon club at the University of Virginia. In April 2009 I travelled to Lubbock Texas to compete in the Collegiate Nationals with a team of nine members. Over the last couple of years I have developed a passion for cycling and the thought of riding across country through areas I have not visited is very appealing to me. As well as competing in triathlons for UVa, I have been a member of the Cavalier Marching Band for three years. I play mellophone (looks like a big trumpet) and have seen my section grow from 11 to 26 members in the past 3 years. Besides these activities, I am a brother in Delta Sigma Phi fraternity. Being a brother of the Delta Sigma Phi National Fraternity I have learned values of leadership, community, and service. My fraternity’s philanthropy raised money for The American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Besides being active at the University of Virginia I love doing activities outdoors. I enjoy wakeboarding, hiking/backpacking, and snowboarding (shattered my left thumb in 2007 and now have six screws holding my joint together).
I heard about Bike and Build from other students at the University of Virginia. Past cyclists have told me that this will be something I will never forget and assured me it would make a lasting impression on my life and the housing problem in the United States.
I have spent my last four summers coaching my community swim team; I have also been volunteering since high school in organizations such as Relay for Life, National Breast Cancer Foundation, and Save Darfur. I loved my job as a coach and role model, but feel that the opportunities Bike and Build will afford me—the chance for a brand new outlook on life and exposure to the enormous issue of affordable housing—are too tremendous to pass up. Biking across the country is an accomplishment in and of itself, but raising money and building for a cause will truly make a lasting impression on me. I have travelled to many states and countries with housing issues, and done nothing about it. The housing shortage has been magnified to affect not only the destitute and the impoverished but also families, and college graduates who have lost their jobs due to the current economic recession.
Atlantic to Pacific sounds intimidating but I know I will be able to do it with the right mindset. I can’t wait to step foot in the Pacific Ocean after biking 3863 miles! This could be my last summer before entering the workforce as an engineer and I can’t think of any better way to spend my summer.
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