LAWRENCE — Thirty-one college students from across the country are biking from Boston to California this summer in 66 days, helping to build affordable homes along the way.
Their first stop: Lawrence.
The Bike and Build group spent last Saturday working to rebuild Habitat for Humanity homes destroyed in January's fire on Market and Common streets.
"It's unfortunate what happened, how it burnt down. It's such a horrible thought," said biker/builder Kyle Kudzinski, 23, of McLean, Va. "But they are coming back. It's a good feeling to be a part of it."
Two of the homes, which were near completion, were torn down after the Jan. 21 blaze that consumed 14 buildings in all.
"You want to do this because it's something someone really needs," said Lindsay Magida, 19, of Middlesex, Vt. "You can see the need here."
The Bike and Build crew will help build homes in New York, Ohio, Indiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, Nevada and California, before coming to an end in Santa Barbara, Calif. The group says it travels 50 to 60 miles a day.
Participants say their ultimate goal is to spread awareness about affordable housing.
While building at the Lawrence site, the group stayed at the Pike School in Andover.
Bike and Build's Boston-to-Santa Barbara ride is dedicated to the memory of Christopher Webber, a former Bike and Build program director who grew up in Andover.
Webber was killed in a pedestrian accident in New York City in March 2007. He was a Pike alumnus.
Habitat for Humanity officials said that thanks to an abundance of volunteers and donations from groups like Bike and Build, the homes are going up ahead of schedule.
It typically takes 15 months to build a house, but the foundations were already set and walls were up on two of the homes on Saturday.
"They are going up fast, "said Emerson Dahmen, building director for Habitat.
Dawn Frost, Habitat's volunteer coordinator, said she actually has to turn people away, there are so many people looking to help build these homes.
"There's a waiting list. I still have hundreds of people who want to come, but there's no room for them," Frost said. "It's a good problem to have."
For updates on the Bike and Build group's progress or to contribute to their cause, visit www.bikeandbuild.org.
