Father Kicks Off 235-mile Bike Ride to Raise Money for Al-Huda School

When Abdur Rashid’s daughter’s teacher requested donations to fund a reading corner at Al-Huda School in College Park, he didn’t reach into his wallet. Facing financial issues at the time, he reached for a bike instead.

“Even parents whose funds are limited have faith and health that we can use to help. Do something!” Abdur Rashid said.

This comes from the Muslim Link, a bi-weekly newspaper that is sponsoring Rashid’s next ride, a 235-mile trek from in College Park to Al-Huda in Camp Hill, Pa. Rashid plans to leave at 3 a.m. Saturday.

According to Minhaj Hasan, editor for Muslim Link, Rashid is hoping to raise $20,000 through per-mile donations. Rashid’s first ride, which covered 75 miles from College Park to Alexandria and back again last fall, raised $1,462, according to Muslim Link.

The bike-a-thon is also meant to raise awareness of the needs of Islamic schools, according to the school's website. Al-Huda is a 501(c)3 non-profit school that relies on community funding, according to the website.

We’ll be able to track his progress along the way. Live updates will be posted on Muslim Link through a GPS watch. Pictures and Tweets will be posted along their journey here.

Here are two ways to get involved:

• If you want to donate, make your pledge here, whether big or small. You’ll be contacted after the ride.
• You can ride along with Rashid for the last small segment of his journey, through neighborhood streets. Rashid is expecting to arrive back in College Park around 3 p.m. Sunday. Watch the website for updated details about when and where to meet up with him, for what is being dubbed “the extra mile.”

Although Rashid rides his bike everyday from his home in Silver Spring to work in Bethesda, this will be a much longer trip. A three-man support crew will accompany him, according to Arab Times.