Longtime homeowner plans to ride in Habitat 500

Meet Kaia. She is a Habitat homeowner – has been for 25 years. She is also an avid biker. For Kaia, the Habitat 500 ride is the perfect way to give back to the community while enjoying her favorite pastime. “Getting to spend a week doing nothing but biking is heaven. Raising money and awareness for Twin Cities Habitat while doing it … well that’s just icing on the cake.”

Kaia doesn’t own a car. Biking, for her, is a lifestyle choice. She bikes to work, to the grocery store, to her friend’s houses – everywhere. On vacation in Norway last summer, biking was Kaia’s sole mode of transport – she peddled around the land of her ancestors, refusing to rent a car or take a bus. As should be obvious by now, the notion of biking for seven straight days in the Habitat 500 was very appealing to her.

For those who may not know, the Habitat 500 is an annual bike ride put on by Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity in which philanthropic peddlers cover 500 miles on bicycle in the course of seven days. The riders raise funds before the ride. Then, they raise awareness for safe, affordable housing by spreading the message of Habitat everywhere they go. The message of Habitat – that decent, affordable housing should be available to all people – is one that touched Kaia’s life deeply.

25 years ago Kaia was struggling in a tiny apartment, unable to raise her kids in an environment conducive to their well-being. Twin Cities Habitat gave her family the opportunity to thrive in a healthy living space. Her kids were able to play in a nice, well-kempt yard with their neighbors – throwing the Frisbee, making castles in the sandbox and digging holes in the garden. They could own a dog because of the fence, and host birthday parties outside. And now, her kids are thriving in young adulthood.

Just look at Kaia’s daughter, Nora. Nora developed a passion for science at an early age. This was in large part due to the education she received at the Magnet School for Science and Technology located near her Habitat home. Nora is now at the University of Minnesota studying agriculture, her career path informed by the education she was able to receive thanks to her Habitat home’s location.

“Habitat’s help in our lives has been all-encompassing: I’ve been able to hold the same job for 25-years; we were immune to the foreclosure crisis; my kids were able to enjoy their childhoods in a nice, spacious environment – in an established community with neighbors that we grew to love,” Kaia said.

Kaia wants to give back after all that her Habitat home has afforded her. She found the perfect way: the Habitat 500 ride, which combines her passion for biking with her gratitude for Twin Cities Habitat. To help Kaia ride for Habitat, please consider making a donation on her fundraising page.