AMELIA WILDENBORG OF HENDRIX COLLEGE, a junior midfielder on the Warriors' soccer team, has been selected the SCAC Character & Community Female Student-Athlete-of-the-Week for the week ending October 11, 2009.

Wildenborg, who is an accounting major with a minor in religion and is currently tied for fifth on her team in scoring with five points, biked cross-country from Charleston, S.C. to Santa Cruz, Calif., this past summer with the Bike & Build - Pedaling to End Poverty Housing program. 

The Bike & Build program raises funds for affordable housing projects, and in over six seasons, Bike and Build has contributed $1,643,145 to housing groups to help fund projects planned and executed by these young adults. Bike & Build supports local affordable housing organizations along each route through on-the-road donations.

Wildenborg logged 4,131 miles on her South Carolina to Santa Cruz (SC2SC) route, which began in the lowlands of Carolina and ventured through the southern cities of Columbia, Athens, Birmingham and Little Rock. After biking through Arkansas, the crew made its way north to Colorado and into Colorado Springs where they joined the Pike's Peak Habitat for Humanity. The two groups built an entire house over the course of just nine days in what they call a ‘Blitz Build.' 

The riders on the SC2SC route embarked on this 81-day journey and logged more build days than any other trip in Bike & Build's history. Wildenborg, a native of Rogers, Ark., found out about the program through former Hendrix women's soccer captain, Jessica Rood, who also made the once-in-a-lifetime trip. Wildenborg raised over $4,700 dollars on her own throughout the ride.

Here are a few links to the Bike & Build website if you are interested in participating: http://bikeandbuild.org/rider/2974 (Amelia's profile page); http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/content/view/110/277/#overview (SC2SC Route Page); http://www.bikeandbuild.org/cms/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/ (Bike & Build homepage)