Mark Miller has been on a lot of cycling treks, but there is a satisfaction in combining his hobby with helping people.
So Miller was excited to come to Clarksdale and help the Fuller Center for Housing pour the slab on its first house in Clarksdale this week as he pedaled from Lake Pontchartrain to Lake Erie.
“I’ve been doing these rides for eight year and they have come to really mean something for me,” said Miller, a retired computer analyst from Atlanta. “Cycling is a great hobby and I enjoy it, but to be part of something that makes an incredible difference in someone’s life makes it even better.”
There were more than a dozen cyclists in Clarksdale Sunday through Tuesday, with Monday the day the group helped lay re-enforcing wire and rebar for the slab. They commented on the sticky wet air of the Mississippi Delta as they twisted the steel into place.
“We will go from Louisiana to Lake Erie over about 30 days and have five or six days that we stop and build,” said Miller. “We did a house in Hammond (La.) and one in Leland and we’re in Clarksdale today, then it’s on to Nashville and Cuyahoga Fall in Ohio.”
Billed as the Underground Railroad tour, this trek is one of the midrange rides. Fuller Center is hosting a ride from Oregon to Maine and smaller ones from Nashville to Natchez this summer.
All raise money for Fuller Center.
The Fuller Center for Housing’s seeks to end substandard housing and improve the lives of those who may never have owned a home. They partner with local agencies, like the Clarksdale Fuller Center to build or repairs homes with partner families who participate in the work and pay the costs forward on a no-profit, no-interest basis they can afford.
Similar to Habitat for Humanity, the Fuller Center is a little more grassroots and tailored to smaller communities and smaller builds. Habitat for Humanity has built almost 50 houses in Clarksdale and has turned the local ministry over to Fuller Center.
This week’s build was the start of the Clarksdale Fuller Center’s first house at the corner of Douglas and Messenger.
The group in Clarksdale this week hailed from Texas, Alaska, Utah, Cleveland and even London, England.’
“This is a Christian ministry and you get to know the people you work with and ride with,” said Miller. “They become life-long friends. It’s the same with the people you meet in the community’s you build a house in.”
Miller talked of visiting Bluesberry Café in Clarksdale, singing with Watermelon Slim and soaking up the culture of the Mississippi Delta.
“I hate we couldn’t stay longer,” said Miller. “If the Lord is willing, maybe I’ll get a chance to come back.”
The Fuller Center, a 501(c)(3) Christian non-profit, has been evaluated by the top charity watchdogs and received highest ratings.
Their rides have raised well over $3 million, introduced countless new friends to the mission, and led to the creation of several new Fuller Centers. Cyclist live simply as they pedal between jobs and depend on the hospitality of host churches, which has allowed 97-percent of the donations to be used for The Fuller Center rather than trek expenses.
Churches, individuals or businesses looking to join the ministry of the Clarksdale Fuller Center can contact Gramm Phillips, Covenant Partner Coordinator, at 301 John Lee Hooker Lane, call him at 662-645-4726 or visit their website at fullercenter.org/clarksdale.
