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Man, 71, bikes across country to raise funds for Habitat
  
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By VAL CLIFTON
At 71, Bob Frick shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, he might even be speeding up.
In honor of his 71st birthday, Frick is bicycling solo across country. His goal: to raise awareness and funds for his local California Habitat for Humanity affiliate in California.
Frick currently has close to 100 individual donors and has raised $55,000 of his $71,000 goal, or $1,000 for every year of his life.
A retired vice chairman of Bank of America's Board of Directors and present-day instructor for the St. Mary's College MBA program, he began his ride Sept. 3 in Lafayette, Calif.
Along the way Frick is stopping at the area HFH affiliates to meet the staff, volunteers and homeowners. In Houston, he made his way to the build site of HFH-Northwest Harris County in the Lancaster subdivision Oct. 14.
Forced to give up running after a hip replacement surgery, Frick began cycling as a means to burn off energy.
Last year, Frick decided he would attempt the cross-country venture after a student in his executive MBA course dared him to ride in a Minnesota HFH event that spanned 540 miles. He was one of 140 participants to traverse to the different Habitat sites in the state.
“As a business man of 50 years, I was impressed with the low administrative costs,” Frick said.
After completing the event, he set his sites on a higher goal, and in March he committed to cycling across the U.S.
To avoid the possibility of cold weather, Frick opted to take a southern route. His ride is peppered with memorable experiences, one of which was particularly striking to him.
While rehydrating in front of a K-Mart in Arizona, a man in a beat up old pick-up truck stopped to talk to the visibly tired Frick. Impressed by the reasons behind his wariness, the man went inside and promptly returned, stashing a wad of dollar bills in the cyclist’s hand.
He was slightly taken aback by the man’s generosity.
“He said ‘good luck, God bless you. We need more people like you,’” Frick said. “And then he was gone.”
But perhaps the most memorable moment so far for Frick was at a home that was being built for a family of seven. The mother had lost her husband to an industrial accident and was raising her six children alone in a trailer on the land.
Despite the circumstances, she continued her education and was only a year away from teaching math for a local elementary school.
“To see those kids so excited and this woman pull herself up from her bootstraps was amazing,” Frick said.
Frick anticipates he will complete the journey Nov. 15. at the last of 10 HFH sites in Saint Augustine, Fla. To view daily updated accounts of his journey, visit www.HabitatCycleofHope.com.
In honor of his 71st birthday, Frick is bicycling solo across country. His goal: to raise awareness and funds for his local California Habitat for Humanity affiliate in California.
Frick currently has close to 100 individual donors and has raised $55,000 of his $71,000 goal, or $1,000 for every year of his life.
A retired vice chairman of Bank of America's Board of Directors and present-day instructor for the St. Mary's College MBA program, he began his ride Sept. 3 in Lafayette, Calif.
Along the way Frick is stopping at the area HFH affiliates to meet the staff, volunteers and homeowners. In Houston, he made his way to the build site of HFH-Northwest Harris County in the Lancaster subdivision Oct. 14.
Forced to give up running after a hip replacement surgery, Frick began cycling as a means to burn off energy.
Last year, Frick decided he would attempt the cross-country venture after a student in his executive MBA course dared him to ride in a Minnesota HFH event that spanned 540 miles. He was one of 140 participants to traverse to the different Habitat sites in the state.
“As a business man of 50 years, I was impressed with the low administrative costs,” Frick said.
After completing the event, he set his sites on a higher goal, and in March he committed to cycling across the U.S.
To avoid the possibility of cold weather, Frick opted to take a southern route. His ride is peppered with memorable experiences, one of which was particularly striking to him.
While rehydrating in front of a K-Mart in Arizona, a man in a beat up old pick-up truck stopped to talk to the visibly tired Frick. Impressed by the reasons behind his wariness, the man went inside and promptly returned, stashing a wad of dollar bills in the cyclist’s hand.
He was slightly taken aback by the man’s generosity.
“He said ‘good luck, God bless you. We need more people like you,’” Frick said. “And then he was gone.”
But perhaps the most memorable moment so far for Frick was at a home that was being built for a family of seven. The mother had lost her husband to an industrial accident and was raising her six children alone in a trailer on the land.
Despite the circumstances, she continued her education and was only a year away from teaching math for a local elementary school.
“To see those kids so excited and this woman pull herself up from her bootstraps was amazing,” Frick said.
Frick anticipates he will complete the journey Nov. 15. at the last of 10 HFH sites in Saint Augustine, Fla. To view daily updated accounts of his journey, visit www.HabitatCycleofHope.com.
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