The Fuller Center For Housing - Special Builds

Special Builds

• Bicycle Adventure

Inspired by the walks of 700, 1,000, and 1,200 miles led by Millard and Linda Fuller in the 1980s, the Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure was created in 2008 by a Notre Dame graduate. The ride is intended to raise money through grassroots fundraising for The Fuller Center's projects, and also to raise awareness about the need for affordable housing for low-income families. While traveling, the team also builds or renovates Fuller Center housing projects and speaks to the media, church groups and civic organizations.

For the inaugural Fuller Center Bicycle adventure in the summer of 2008, eight cyclists biked from San Diego, California, to Savannah, Georgia. The trip raised over $134,000 for FCH programs in the U.S. and around the world. Since then, the annual summer trips have raised a total of $325,000.

The fourth annual ride will be in summer 2011, and will span 3,600 miles from Washington state to Washington, D.C.

• Earth Day Blitz Build

In April 2008, FCH sponsored an Earth Day Blitz Build. The week-long event built one home and renovated another in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia. The homes were constructed using energy efficient methods and products such as high quality insulation, house wrap, sealants, solar positioning, energy-efficient water heaters and heating and cooling units based on local year-round climate conditions.

The Fuller Center Earth Day builds are ongoing throughout the year and are intended to provide a hands-on demonstration of how affordable housing can be environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

• Anniversary Celebration Build

The Fuller Center commemorated its fifth anniversary from March 15 to March 27, 2010, by constructing five houses with three covenant partners in Louisiana, where the organization initially began in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina. University of Idaho students, an experienced green-build team from California, Fuller Center RV builders and volunteers from across the U.S. helped with the construction.

• The Millard Fuller Anniversary Build

Millard Fuller Anniversary Build honors the vision, life and work of The Fuller Center's founder, Millard Fuller. Hosted each year by a different covenant partner, the event brings together hundreds of volunteers to build and renovate several houses in one location during one week. Fuller Center covenant partners across the U.S. and around the world participate by building, repairing or dedicating 100 homes.