CONWAY, Ark. (April 7, 2016) – Hendrix College senior Emily Kleinfelter ’16 is leading an effort for Hendrix to be recognized as a Bicycle Friendly University through the League of American Bicyclists.
The application is part of Kleinfelter’s capstone project for her interdisciplinary urban studies major. If Hendrix is successful, it will be the first private college in Arkansas to receive the designation.
An avid cyclist from Nashville, Tennessee, Kleinfelter says Hendrix has a pretty strong bike-friendly infrastructure in place with a
campus bike shop and bike rental program.
As chair of the Hendrix Bicycle Advisory Committee, she has been focused on creating more bike advocacy outreach programs on campus, including an upcoming campus screening of the documentary film
Bikes vs. Cars on May 1.
“I got really got into cycling the summer of 2014 when I was biking to my internship in downtown Nashville,” she said. “My father quickly realized I had a passion for being on the bike and started taking me out on longer rides around the greater Nashville area. By the end of that summer I had
ridden over 500 miles.”
“It's always hard to find time to ride when I am at school, so my best riding time is always during the summer. This past summer, once I returned from studying abroad in Morocco, I immediately began biking again and was determined to train for my first ever century ride,” she said. “With the
help and motivation from my parents, I completed my first 100-mile ride at the Big Dam Bridge ride in Little Rock.”
After graduation, Kleinfelter will ride 3,963 miles across country from Portland, Maine, to Santa Barbara, California, with a program called
Bike & Build. Along the way, she will help build and teach about affordable housing alongside groups such as Habitat for Humanity.
“There are tons of reasons why I want to participate in Bike & Build. Who doesn't want to be able to say they rode their bike across the United States? But this isn't just about the bikes for me. It is also about being able to help strengthen families and communities through access to
affordable housing,” said Kleinfelter, who spent her freshman year spring break in New Orleans working with Habitat for Humanity to help rebuild a community center damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
She is currently raising money to participate in the program and is more than half way toward her $4,500 goal. More than 80 percent of the funds raised go to affordable housing.
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“This is a unique opportunity for me,” said Kleinfelter, whose father originally suggested Bike and Build to her. “I come close tears when I think about being on my bike and doing what makes me incredibly happy every day.”
About
Bike & Build
Through service-oriented cycling trips, Bike & Build benefits affordable housing and empowers young adults for a lifetime of service and civic engagement. Bike & Build envisions future generations who are committed to a lifetime of civic engagement and who inspire individuals and
communities to create fair, decent housing for all Americans. For more information, visit
http://bikeandbuild.org.
About
Hendrix College
Hendrix College is a private liberal arts college in Conway, Arkansas. Founded in 1876 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884, Hendrix is featured in Colleges
That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think about Collegesand is nationally recognized in numerous college guides, lists, and rankings for academic quality, community, innovation, and value. For more information, visit
www.hendrix.edu.