Winter isn’t usually a time that Maine cyclists love to be out riding, but for two Windham residents it’s a perfect time to begin preparations for lengthy charity rides they will undertake this year.
 |
| Local cyclists Bill Turner, left, and Diane Dunton Bruni are preparing for another year of riding to raise money for the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing, a nonprofit organization of local volunteers who help elderly residents and veterans with repairs and special projects so they can stay in their homes. COURTESY PHOTOS |
As Board Chair and President of the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center, Dunton Bruni says community support is crucial for what the organization does and the families it serves through home repairs and individual projects throughout the year.
In leading by example in taking pledges for each mile that she rides this winter, Dunton Bruni says she’s helping to spread the word about the Fuller Center’s mission and engaging with volunteers.
“We are an all-volunteer organization," she said. “The biggest challenge is keeping volunteers engaged in-between projects, finding contractors when special expertise is needed, donors and continuing to spread our mission. We continue to grow and cannot get to every project as quickly as we would like.”
Having community support is critical to success in helping the families the Fuller Center serves.
“In 2024, we helped 20 families with 1,150 volunteer hours repairing roofs, building ramps, adding handrails, and various other projects,” Dunton Bruni said. “Since we started doing projects in 2020 during COVID, we have completed 63 projects for 78 families and 4,436 volunteer hours.”
This year, Dunton Bruni is cycling with the Home Team as part of the Fuller Center Bike Adventure.
“For the past few years, I have ridden in different parts along the East coast,” she says. “This year, I will cycle, hike or walk 800 miles locally to raise $3,000 for materials for home repairs.”
Despite setting her goal, Dunton Bruni said she would be delighted if she could raise that number to $5,000.
“All of my funds I raise stay local,” she says. “People have two basic needs: food and shelter. The families we serve are the motivation to keep me going. When I learn about a senior, veteran or a person who is disabled and in need of repairs for their home, basic shelter, for safety reasons, I am humbled. Being able to help a family is a privilege for me.”
Bill Turner is also gearing up to help raise money for the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing later this year. Many years ago, Turner used to participate in the Trek across Maine with his bike and his children.
“At some point in 2017, I decided to see if I could bike across the country,” Turner says. “I began to look for trips and came across the Fuller Center Bike Adventure, and so I signed up for a trip from San Francisco to Santa Fe to see how my body would react.”
Along the way, bikers are asked to participate in projects for the national Fuller Center.
“I am not used to asking people for money, but for such as good cause as the Fuller Center Bike Adventure, it seemed like the right thing to do,” Turner said.
In 2018, he decided to ride across the country with the Bike Adventure, and signed up for a ride from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine. He managed to ride the entire distance.
Turner has had a lot going on since then. Two years ago, he learned that he had cancer. After getting it removed, he has tested cancer-free ever since. He also had his shoulder replaced a year and a half ago, from which he has recovered and is doing well, and recently had another shoulder surgery just three weeks ago.
Still, Turner was able to ride 1,000 miles in three weeks in 2024 from Seattle, Washington, to Salt Lake City, Utah.
This year Turner has decided that he will be undertaking an epic bicycle ride at home to give his body a bit of a rest. He plans to ride and hike on his own in 2025, often accompanied by his rescue dog Tucker, with a personal goal of raising $10,000 this year and riding 1,000 miles.
According to Turner, he currently hikes about two miles a day, as his shoulder is still recovering. He will soon switch out his fat bike with studded tires to his road bicycle and will also begin doing 5-mile hikes.
“The community has always helped our local riders accomplish their goals and help others throughout our country,” Turner said.
To assist Dunton and Turner reach their 2025 fundraising goals, send a check donation payable to “The Fuller Center for Housing” with the rider’s name in the memo line and mail them to Attn: Bike Adventure, The Fuller Center for Housing, PO Box 523, Americus, GA 31709. <
No comments:
Post a Comment