Who wants a pretty shirt?

A sweet shirt that supports a great cause? What isn’t to love?! Anyone interested in purchasing one of these  awesome shirts designed by the ever-talented Jon Hackney should let me know! They are printed on American Apparel shirts and are available in both men’s and women’s cuts sizes small through large. Comment, email me (marjoryardenstewart@gmail.com) or facebook me if you are interested! The picture doesn’t fully do it justice- and I’m sure my creepin’ above it doesn’t help too much.. but seriously these shirts are sweet and YOU can support affordable housing by purchasing and donning them!

Chocolate!!

If you have never tried Omanhene cocoa products you are seriously missing out!  Made entirely from the Ghanian cocoa beans that the Financial Times calls “the finest cocoa in the world” this chocolate is truly on a whole different level! Omanhene is the world’s first single source chocolate, as most companies buy their beans from various different countries before importing them to make the chocolate. This gourmet chocolate is made in Ghana while it is incredibly fresh and then brought over to the Milwaukee area for distribution. Omanhene has an incredible story. Check it out! The site also has some dangerously delicious recipes. All good stuff.

What does this have anything to do with biking? Or building? Or affordable housing? Let me inform you! As part of my fundraising efforts I’ll be selling these delicious chocolate bars! It’s taking some serious willpower to not eat it considering I now have hundreds of chocolate bars just taunting me. Let me know if you are interested in them! Otherwise I’ll just try to have some on me 🙂 While all Omanhene products are delicious, I’ll be selling the 48% dark milk chocolate 20 gram bars.

Chocolate makes everything better.

Steve Wallace fell in love with Ghana when he was 16 and traveled to Ghana as an exchange student through AFS. He’s pictured above with his host father, mothers, and many siblings!  He knew that he wanted to stay involved with Ghana and in a country with millions of cocoa farmers, why not chocolate!

Also for those of you wondering what Omanhene means, I took the definition from their website – although Steve Wallace, the founder and family friend, has told me many times.

The word “Omanhene” comes from the Twi language in Ghana.  Twi is the language spoken by the majority of the Akan people who live in the middle of the country.  The traditional capital of the Akan is the city of Kumasi.  In Ghana, the local chief is the traditional authority at the village level.  As you move up the hierarchy, there are regional chiefs, provincial chiefs and at the very top of the line of authority sits (literally sits upon a royal stool) the “Omanhene” or paramount chief or king.  The term is an honorific title bestowed upon the paramount king who, to this day, remains a potent symbol of moral and ethical authority in Ghana.

Thanks for all the support!

Arden

To donate click here.

Bikes bikes!

I have ordered my new spiffy bike for the summer! Very excited to get on it 🙂 I tried out the same bike at a local shop and it feels so nice! Super pumped.

Also for those of you who haven’t checked out the creative genius of my friends John and Aaron, check out their innovation called Spoke-N-Art at their facebook page. They design bike canvases like this one below.

Oh, I am completely jealous of who has this bike, though it doesn’t seem the most practical…

And finally, people on bikes should wear helmets! Our brains are important. I’ve I can’t convince you, let this puppy do the work!

$1000!

Thank you! Gracias! شكرا Merci! Danke! So much gratitude to the amazing individuals who showed their support of Affordable Housing and my upcoming ride! I have surpassed the $1000 mark which is super marvelous!

There is still a long way to go but this means I get to order my spiffy new bike and start putting in miles on it! Can you tell I’m a little excited?

Some might think it’d be hard to stay motivated to get out and ride, however I have all the inspiration I need in my friends, family, and the affordable housing crisis’ need for change and inspired people to get out there something about it! This kid helps too.

Thanks again to those who have generously showed their support so far. It means so much to me!

With great gratitude,

Arden

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead

Do I look like a cyclist?

When I was 7, my then- 13 year-old brother was going through quite the bmx phase. He was constantly striving to learn new tricks and get the latest gear as a way to pass the time in the less-than-exciting town of Lubbock, Texas. While today my brothers remain two of my closest friends, as a kid they were my absolute idols. I wanted to follow them everywhere and do whatever they did. So if Ben was going to get into biking, so was I.

My tricks were not as showy and, well, about what you’d expect from a seven year-old girl. It probably didn’t help my street cred that my bike was just about as girly as they come (shocking, I know).  Ben eventually grew out of that bmx phase, but never out of biking as last year he rode 5,000-miles across Africa with his friend Spencer.  I suppose I never grew out of being envious of my big brother and trying to find ways to put a spin on his excursions.  But Bike and Build is my adventure and is about proving to myself that I can do something of this magnitude, rather than simply impress my older brothers.

I have flirted with the idea of biking cross-country for ages and have always felt that if I see a problem, I should be able to fix it.  I owe it to myself to try at the very least. Bike and Build is seemingly the perfect fit for me and although there is still a great deal of preparation yet to be completed, I know every second of it will be so, so worth it.  A great adventure, amazing people, and helping others? What is not to love?

It goes without saying that biking coast to coast will be a physically exhausting feat. And while I’ve always considered myself an athlete, I still am not completely sold on identifying myself as a cyclist. Sure I love going on bike rides and even have a sticker on my “fun bike” that proudly proclaims “I ❤ my bike” – but does any of this merit me the title “cyclist”? As I dive into training for the trip I suppose I will learn what it is that earns one that title and once I arrive in Monterey, California, I hope I’ll have earned that designation.

I received some official Bike & Build gear recently.

So what do you think- do I look like a cyclist?

Be the change you wish to see in the world,

Arden

Affordable Housing? Part 1

So what is this Affordable Housing thing? Making it cheaper to live off-campus?  Not so much.  The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines housing as affordable to a low-income family so long as the cost of housing, including rent or mortgage/tax payments plus basic utilities, does not exceed 30% of the income before taxes. A family is considered to be low-income so long as their annual income is less than 80% of the median for the area, a number determined by HUD. In 2001, 4.8 million working families spent over half of their income on housing but by 2010 this number had jumped to 9.5 million. What does this mean? Simply put, people are not making enough each year to keep up with the rising living costs.

Fair Market Rent (FMR) is a number that is a gross estimate for rent in a given geographic region. HUD calculates FMR using a number of metrics including census data on average income, population density, and the Consumer Price Index for an area as well as examining local going rates for rent.  Naturally, FMR varies dramatically depending on the area – Manhattan’s FMR is greatly higher than that of Ketchem, Idaho.

One issue facing low-income families is that the federal minimum wage is not indexed with inflation. The costs of food, gas and rent are constantly subjected to inflation but it takes Congress’ approval to increase minimum wage.  In no county in the nation can an individual work 40 hours per week at minimum wage and afford even a one-bedroom apartment at the local FMR. Not a single county!

Additionally, there simply isn’t enough affordable housing to support all of those in need of it.  Sadly, many people are forced to prioritize housing over other necessities such as food or healthcare in order to avoid homelessness. Children in overcrowded housing situations have been proven to “much less likely“ to complete their homework than children in adequate homes and having enough space promotes healthy family relationships.

I can’t wait to get out and not only raise money for affordable housing programs but to also physically build them! Studies also have proven that new affordable housing developments improve property values, the property tax base, and residential sales prices in surrounding neighborhoods. SO much good will come from this summer and I just want to go now!

Peace,

Arden

Harambee

Harambee translates to “all pull together” in Swahili. I first learned this word in 4th grade choir when for our winter concert we sang a song about Kwanzaa. It later came to hold further meaning on “freshmen Fridays” in high school cross country when we would find songs that everyone could sing to try to liven up the run. The Kwanzaa song became a crowd favorite. I didn’t learn the exact meaning of the word until this post, but I find it rather fitting.

A trip of this magnitude requires loads of preparation! I have hundreds of miles of cycling to cover, biking gear to obtain, funds to raise, and homes to build? As part of my preparation, I will spend several Saturdays this spring working with Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity. Bike & Build is not merely about the biking, after all. I must learn how to build! My extent of tool-related knowledge dates back to middle school shop class – where I did make a pretty cool locker shelf thing, but still, limited knowledge. I can work a hammer and am a quick learner so I hope it won’t be too tough.  Next Saturday I’ll be going to a volunteer orientation to learn the basics of what a volunteer does, but first I wanted to get a better understanding of what Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity does!

It was founded in 1984 and has since built over 500 houses, primarily in the Amani, Harambee, and Washington Park neighborhoods of the city. Growing up in Whitefish Bay, a comfortable suburb of Milwaukee, I was fairly ignorant of the importance of Affordable Housing. It wasn’t until recently that I realized how greatly the issue affects the city I call home. When reading about what Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity does, it mentioned three neighborhoods that it primarily works with. I only recognized one. To further my sheltered and naïve feelings, the only reason I even had heard of Washington Park is because I ran a couple cross country races there in high school.

One aspect of the Habitat Humanity that I think is marvelous is what they call “sweat equity.” The homes are built with the future homeowners in conjunction with volunteers. How cool would it be to be able to say that you helped build your own home? Seldom happens these days! 2011 was a big year for Milwaukee Habitat as it built 40 new homes, repaired 30 and worked with over 16,000 volunteers. Awesome. What a great community effort!

I’m excited to see how I can help Milwaukee Habitat in their efforts and also to learn about construction. Wearing a hard-hat will definitely be a first! I’ll be sure to post updates on my experience working with Milwaukee Habitat  🙂

Also, here is an interesting (and slightly outdated) article on foreclosure in Milwaukee County and how it has specifically affected the Amani neighborhood. It shows that the financial burden of foreclosures on the city is something quite notable but also describes the dangers of having thousands of foreclosed homes. Interesting stuff.

Happy Tuesday!

Arden

Here we go!

Ah! First time writing a blog. Must say I’m slightly intimidated. Mostly because there is just SO much to say and I’m worried I won’t do it justice. Please bear with me!

For those of you who don’t know, this summer I’ll be joining an amazing cast of about 30 riders to bicycle from Jacksonville, Florida to Monterey, California. We’re riding for an amazing organization called Bike & Build  that aims to raise funds and awareness for Affordable Housing! Along the way we will stop and swap a bike helmet for a construction one as we work with programs such as Rebuilding Together and Habitat for Humanity to actually build Affordable Housing options! In preparation I am working to raise at least $4500 and will be volunteering at Habitat for Humanity Milwaukee in order to get a taste of the whole building thing.

Of the 8 routes it offers, my fellow riders and I are the crazy ones who take the southern US route. I cannot wait to meet the incredible individuals that I will be traveling nearly 4,000 miles with! Makes me want to edit Shakespeare a bit and say “For he that sheds his (sweat) with me. Shall be my brother” because with a route like that, we know there will be a great deal of sweat (and some awesome tan lines!)

This blog will be the chronicles of this grand journey! It’ll have fundraising updates, articles on Affordable Housing, and, ultimately, tales/ from the trip itself!

To donate to my ride and see my personal bio please see http://www.bikeandbuild.org/rider/6123

Thanks,

Arden

Shirts! Shirts! Shirts!

As part of my fundraising efforts I will be selling some pretty awesome t-shirts! The final design is still not completely finished, but this is roughly the idea! I am so fortunate to be surrounded by some very talented people in my life and with the help of two friends, Jon and Kaj, the shirt will be completed!

The colors are still to be determined but overall I think it looks snazzy, and will only get better! Hope you like them too!!