Abdur Rashid struggles to fund his daughter’s education at Al-Huda School. He works hard to pay the monthly tuition, and at the end of the month, there’s not much left.
Like many Muslims, he wishes he could donate to his daughter’s school, especially at the annual fundraisers, but without much money left over for his family, he has to make hard choices – or creative ones.
Last year when his daughter’s kindergarten teacher asked parents to donate for a reading corner, Abdur Rashid decided that although he didn’t have money to contribute, he had himself – his energy, his strength, and his sweat.
He decided to launch a personal bikeathon to raise what he could for the reading corner. Securing per-mile pledges from friends and co-workers, Abdur Rashid, 40 years old, rode from Al-Huda School in College Park, Maryland to a learning store in Alexandria, Virginia, taking bike trails and secondary roads the whole way. He pulled a small bike pod behind him and filled it up with books and learning material before trekking back to Al-Huda School – a 75 mile round trip route. The class needed about $700 for the reading corner; Abdur Rashid brought in about $1500.
This year, he is setting a higher goal. He plans to bike from Al-Huda School in College Park, Maryland to the Al-Huda School branch in Pennsylvania and back, a round trip of 230 miles.
“We plan to raise at least $20,000. This year we have better gear and help from The Muslim Link and social media, and I’ll represent Sr Shirin Ishaq’s 1st Grade Girls. It’s a challenge for me to go the distance and to beat the clock, and a challenge to the community’s ideas about what goals we can attain with bold determination and patient labor, insha’Allah,” said Abdur Rashid, who has already started training for the ride. “I bike commute year-round, so my training is bulk groceries and traffic in bad weather. With a family and work and school it’s hard to have a more athletic regimen. Mostly, I just think up goals and do them,” he explained.
Abdur Rashid said his 177 pound body should be down to 145 pounds by early December when he plans to make the ride. He will only drink water and eat “a mix of honey, molasses, black seed oil and sea salt” and other high energy snacks while biking. He will only stop for salah and using the bathroom along the way.
“Our family loves bikes. Even though we have a tight budget we want to support Sabriya’s school and the community. Charity rides raise money for causes like cancer research so why not Al-Huda?”
To pledge, get involved and follow Abdur Rashid's blog, visit www.sabrwinstherace.org.
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