Bill Turner isn’t someone who likes to sit on the sidelines but his active lifestyle of long-distance bike riding for charity was somewhat reduced following shoulder replacement surgery earlier this year,
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| Bill Turner and his rescue dog Tucker have been fundraising for the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing from Maine this year. Bill had shoulder surgery last winter but expects to be back participating in long-distance rides for the organization soon. COURTESY PHOTO |
“I am at $7,750 toward my goal of $10,000 for my local grass-roots volunteer chapter in Maine,” Turner said. “To help us reach this goal during the month of September, my wife Lily and I will match all donations up to $2,000.”
Now he’s back on his bicycle again and says that his bionic shoulders are working well. He’s deciding where to ride next.
“The van is packed with a bicycle for a six-week adventure,” Turner said.
That Turner is preparing to undertake yet another long cycling adventure is a testament to his determination and recuperative strength.
Back in 2021, he underwent a prostatectomy, a surgical procedure to remove his prostate gland, and is now living cancer free. A surgery in 2022 replaced his right shoulder and her went through another operation last winter.
“I had my left shoulder replaced and it is coming along fine, however I figured I should give my body a break this year from riding 1,000 miles in three weeks as I did in 2024,” Turner said.
As an avid cyclist, Bill Turner rode for many years in the “Trek across Maine” with his children on behalf of the American Lung Association.
“At some point in 2017, I decided to see if I could bike across the country,” Turner said. “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. 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’s original goal was to raise enough funds to help build one home in Haiti. However, two months after sending out an email to every contact he had on his mailing list, to invite people to give a donation; the amount raised was very close to his $6,000 goal.
He chose to ride across the country with the Bike Adventure in 2018 and signed up to ride from Portland, Oregon, to Portland, Maine. Turner managed to ride the entire distance, and he also learned more about the national Fuller Center for Housing, a 501(c3) non-profit organization based out of Americus, Georgia. Its mission is to “promote collaborative and innovative partnerships with individuals and organizations in an unrelenting quest to provide adequate shelter for all people in need worldwide.”
He thought that his church, Faith Lutheran Church in Windham, could become involved in a project locally to assist in keeping elderly homeowners and veterans in the Lakes Region safely in their homes.
Together with Windham resident Lorraine Glowczak, Turner developed a PowerPoint presentation and met with churches around Windham pitching them about the proposal. Six churches came on board and founded the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing with Faith Lutheran Church, the Unity Church for Spiritual Growth, the North Windham Union Church, Windham Hill United Church of Christ, Raymond Village Church and Saint Joseph’s College of Maine joining to serve the towns of Windham, Raymond and Standish.
At the forefront of fundraising for the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing, Turner trains year-round and has a fat-tire bike with studded tires that he rides throughout the winter months with his pal, Tucker, a black 40-pound rescue dog that the Turners obtained from the Texas shelter.
“Bicycling has been an important part of my life for staying healthy at this point,” he said. “The community has always helped our local riders accomplish their goals and help others throughout our country,” Turner said.
As Turner plans his next long cycling trip for the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing, he is asking for donations to help him meet his 2025 fundraising goals.
“As noted on my fundraising web site, your donations go to our local chapter where we focus on assisting older folks and veterans to safely stay in their homes,” he said. “In the climate of Maine that often means fixing rotting floors and entry steps, leaky roofs, and other failing building components.”
To make a donation to Turner, visit his fundraising page https://my.fullercenterbikeadventure.org/williamturner or send a check donation payable to “The Fuller Center for Housing” with Turner’s name in the memo line and mail them to Attn: Bike Adventure, The Fuller Center for Housing, PO Box 523, Americus, GA 31709.
To learn more about the Sebago Lakes Region Fuller Center for Housing, visit https://sebagofullerhousing.org/ <
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