Students take off on 122-mile ride for Habitat for Humanity

On Friday morning, 35 cyclists from IU and Purdue will depart West Lafayette for a two-day ride to Bloomington to raise money for Habitat for Humanity.\nThe cyclists will start at Ross-Ade Stadium and finish Saturday before kick-off at Memorial Stadium.\n“The purpose of the Bucket 100 is to raise awareness for Habitat for Humanity in Indiana,” said Doug Taylor, director of the Purdue Habitat for Humanity chapter. “It’s a combination of Purdue and IU’s Habitat for Humanity.”\nEach rider pays a $40 registration fee, and then it is their responsibility to solicit pledges. Each rider is required to earn at least $150 in pledges. Whichever University raises the most money receives the “dry wall” bucket. The dry wall represents materials used to build a Habitat for Humanity house. Last year, IU raised the most money – a little more than $1,000.\n“Hopefully this will get some publicity and let people know what Habitat for Humanity does in Indiana,” Taylor said. “We want to raise awareness that there are people who do need houses. We ride through small towns in Indiana and let them know what we are doing.”\nThe ride is 122 miles long, and after completing 70 miles the first day, the riders spend the night at Camp Camby in Plainfield, Ind.\n“There’s a lot of trash-talking between the riders,” Taylor said. “They usually ride together for the first mile, but then IU pulls ahead. The IU riders are always better than Purdue because of the Little 500.”\nThis is only the second year for the Bucket 100, and both groups admitted they did not raise as much money as they had hoped to last year. The money goes toward building a $50,000 house. This year, IU’s goal was to raise $2,500, and it has already surpassed that mark.\n“Every single penny we earn will go directly to the Monroe County Habitat for Humanity to help go to the $50,000 to build a house,” said Emily Clarke, the major events director for IU’s Habitat for Humanity.\nOnce the riders reach Bloomington, Habitat for Humanity will host a tailgate for the riders, which will include food and DJs.\n“Organizations in Bloomington are sponsoring the tailgate,” Clarke said. “We wanted to have a small celebration for all the work that has been done.”\nLast year, Purdue was involved in a ride called Cover Indiana, where cyclists rode for an entire week to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. This year, the event is from May 11 to 18, and Purdue and IU plan to be involved in the ride.\n“The Bucket 100 was a way to raise awareness,” Taylor said. “I used to be a cyclist, and I organized the first Cover Indiana and Bucket 100. I liked riding through the countryside of Indiana.”\nIU’s Habitat for Humanity will continue to raise money and take donations until the end of the semester for the house that will be built. If students are interested, donations can be made directly online by visiting www.iuhabitat.org.