Florida Catholic | Bishop Verot Graduate On Cross-country Bike Trip

BOB REDDY | FC

Bishop Verot graduate bikes, builds cross–country

Aaron Patzwahl is pedaling his way from San Diego to Savannah with stops along the way to help build five homes — all for charity.

BOB REDDY | FLORIDA CATHOLIC VENICE BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 07.04.08

FORT MYERS | Recent high school graduates are likely to either be working to earn a little money or spending time with their friends while enjoying their final days before they go off to college.

Aaron Patzwahl, a summa cum laude graduate of Bishop Verot High School, is being a little more ambitious with his time. He will spend most of his summer biking 3,300 miles from California to Georgia raising money for charity. On top of that, he will be taking time out to help build five homes along the way.

Patzwahl is one of 10 riders participating in the Fuller Center Bike Adventure that started June 16 and continues through Aug. 8 to raise awareness and money for the Fuller Center for Housing. The center is a nonprofit organization started by Millard D. Fuller, founder of Habitat for Humanity, in 2005 as an ecumenical ministry in Americus, Ga.

The eight-week trip started in San Diego and will continue across 12 states until concluding in Savannah, Ga. The riders will average about 80 miles per day with the longest ride expected to be 111 miles and the shortest 29 miles. Support teams will be driving along with the riders to ensure their safety.

A motivating force behind Patzwahl’s desire to participate in this bicycle adventure stems from a trip to Peru in the summer of 2007 with Bishop Verot Spanish teacher Edward Boulton.

“I witnessed the widespread poverty of Lima and the impoverished conditions of the Amazon River Basin,” Patzwahl said. “One of our goals was to deliver supplies to a small Amazon school that is continually overlooked by the government, and is currently being supported by the local people and Bishop Verot High School.”

He got very ill on the trip and instead of being the bearer of relief and aid to these native people, he became the heartfelt recipient of their hospitality and care.

“This willingness to help me, a complete stranger, amazed me,” he said. “Ever since this cathartic experience, I have desired to give back to that region in Peru, along with other organizations that assist the less fortunate.”

Half of the money Patzwahl has raised has been designated to assist in the Peruvian chapter of the Fuller Center.

“This is a small way that I am able to give back to the people who were so generous to me,” he said.

Patzwahl learned about the ride from his sister Anne Marie Patzwahl, who is a graduate student at the University of Notre Dame. He started serious training in February by biking throughout Fort Myers 20-30 miles per day and sometimes longer on weekends. He has also participated in the annual Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure with his family, about 500 miles in a week.

Patzwahl’s mother, Diane Patzwahl, said she is a little worried about his safety on the trip, but believes God will lead him through safely. She will be tracking his progress on a big map on the family’s kitchen wall.

“I want everyone to pray for him, but most importantly to pray for his success,” she said.

All of the riders are raising money to help build new homes or repair existing structures with the Fuller Center. Riders will also work on housing projects along the way while spreading a message of hope by speaking to audiences and individuals about how the center empowers local citizens to make a difference in their own communities.

Aaron Patzwahl raised $4,000 to participate in the ride and is still raising money through the center’s Web site at www.fullercenterbiketrip.com. The goal of the ride is to raise at least $100,000.

The group is posting a regular blog on the Web site to mark its progress, first through the deserts of the American Southwest, the mountains and then through the Gulf region.

When Patzwahl returns home, he will have about two weeks to prepare for his first semester at Notre Dame where he said he would like to study aerospace engineering.

Return to Diocese of Venice Front Page

Bishop Verot graduate bikes, builds cross–country

Other Stories