CONWAY, Ark. (June 1, 2009) – Amelia Wildenborg, a Hendrix College student from Rogers, was recently featured by The Morning News of Northwest Arkansas for her participation in a unique, cross-country bicycle journey.

Wildenborg, the daughter of John and Jan Wildenborg, will help construct houses along her journey as one of 35 people participating in the 2009 Bike and Build summer ride. Bike and Build is a nonprofit organization formed to educate Americans about the need for low-income housing.

“I found out from one of my friends at school. After she told me, I got on the Internet and started researching Bike and Build. I applied for it the next day and got accepted a week later,” Wildenborg told The Morning News.

She began her 4,139-mile journey in Charleston, S.C., in May and is scheduled to arrive in San Jose, Calif., on Aug. 13. Wildenborg, like the other riders on the trip, raised at least $4,000. Wildenborg turned to friends and family to raise $4,743.

Wildenborg told the newspaper that she wants to help make the world a better place. She has helped build Habitat for Humanity houses in Little Rock and other areas, and she participated in a mission trip to San Francisco over Christmas break to serve food to the homeless. She worked on an organic farm in Ireland last summer through an Odyssey grant.

Her interest in pubic service work began to peak this year, she told the newspaper.

“I became a lot more interested in finding out what I want to do with the rest of my life,” Wildenborg said. “I want to serve other people and be uplifting to others because so many people have blessed me in my life, I just want to give back somehow,” she added.

Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is among 165 colleges featured in the 2009 edition of the Princeton Review America’s Best Value Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.