Better Know a Memphian: Gina Bargiachi
Better Know a Memphian: Gina Bargiachi
Meet Gina Bargiachi. She's a creative intern, native Memphian and passionate cyclist. Here, she talks about her work with Bike and Build, the best concert she's ever been to and her three-legged dog:
Name: Gina Marie Bargiachi
Occupation: Creative Intern at Oden Marketing and Design
Hometown: Memphis, born and bred.
Neighborhood: I spent the first year of my life in Bartlett, but I've lived in Cordova ever since then.
I’m working on: biking, building, fundraising, and raising awareness for the affordable housing crisis currently happening in America.
Bike & Build is: a program that in 10 years has been able engage over 1500 young adults in a process that has donated more than $3.3 million, spent 100,000+ hours on bulding houses, and pedaled more than 5 million miles. This season there will be about 280 riders raising a minimum of $4,500 each.
We are also required to put in a minimum of 10 sweat equity hours with a local affordable housing group on a build site. That way we know what to do once we are on the road and can be as efficient as possible when building. Personally, I'll be volunteering with Memphis' Habitat for Humanity for a few weekends this April. My group of 32 hits the road on May 24th in Charleston, S.C. and finishes in Santa Cruz, Calif.
The hardest part of Bike and Build is: So far, the hardest challenge has been fundraising. Sometimes I'll go a month without a donation, but there was also a span of two weeks where I brought in over $2,000 of money to the cause.
The real challenge is yet to come - I will be physically and mentally challenged for 81 straight days and 4,169 miles across the US. To complete such a task with your "off days" being the ones where you spend all day building is tough. The way I try to look at it, though, is if I made it through 4 years of swimming at Arkansas, I feel like I can do just about anything.
The best band I’ve seen in Memphis is: The performance I know I'll never forget was when my dad and I saw James Brown perform just a few months before his death. It was a great show, and I'm so glad I got to see a legend like that play one of his last shows in Memphis.
In five years, I hope that: Bike & Build will continue to grow and spread awareness, I will have a big girl job, and love it, and that the Razorbacks will have won a BCS National Championship.
The best barbecue comes from: I've always been a fan of Corky's. I love their wet ribs and the pulled pork is also delicious in barbecue chili. Although, I must admit that Germantown Commissary has the best banana pudding in town.
My favorite Memphis cause is: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. One of my goals is to get my 3-legged dog, Reesee, certified as a therapy dog. She has such a beautiful soul, she's absolutely perfect for the job.
The coolest person I’ve met in Memphis is: Jason Motte, he won a World Series.
I want to see: the whole country on two wheels and a tiny seat.
I love Memphis because: Memphis is my home. Where else can you get such great music, BBQ, and basketball with such great southern hospitality?
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