Aaron's sponsors Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure's spring ride

Aaron’s, Inc. has stepped forward with a $5,000 donation to sponsor The Fuller Center Bicycle Adventure’s first-ever spring ride, a weeklong fundraising and awareness trek along the scenic Natchez Parkway from Nashville, Tenn., to Jackson, Miss.

The Bicycle Adventure is marking its fifth anniversary in 2012, having raised more than $500,000 in its first four years to combat poverty housing.

This year, the Adventure features a couple of new features. The summer Adventure will be divided into two routes: one along the East Coast from Maine to Key West, Fla., and one down the West Coast from Seattle to San Diego. And the spring ride has been added to help raise money and awareness about troubles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where The Fuller Center has two covenant partners — in Mbandaka and Bolomba. And though the spring ride is just one week, the riders will spend one day doing a Greater Blessing repair project with the Fuller Center’s covenant partner in Yalobusha County, Miss.

Fuller Center Director of Donor Development Beverly Black praised the generosity of Aaron’s Mississippi Valley Division, including Vice President of Operations David A. Boggan Sr. and Divisional Sales Manager Harmony V. Peddy.

“The Mississippi Valley Division of Aaron’s has been so generous to The Fuller Center through various sponsorships ranging from our major events to raise funds and spread awareness about poverty housing and donating appliances for our build projects in Louisiana … and now throughout Mississippi with the spring Bicycle Adventure,” Black said.

“I am looking forward to working with the team in Jackson, where we have our ride finale and show our gratitude to this amazing corporate partner,” she added. “From my very first call to Dave Boggan in 2010, he has shown his dedication to community service, and it makes it so easy to reach out to them with opportunities like the spring Bike Adventure and helping our homeowners. Harmony Peddy has an enourmous amount of positive energy, and she stays on top of things from start to finish. They are a great team, and I am so excited they are on board! Makes me proud to be a Louisiana girl!”

Aaron’s has become a regular supporter of Fuller Center projects, including supplying appliances for the eight new homes built during the 2011 Millard Fuller Legacy Build in Minden, La.

“I think anything we can do to help your organization get that name out there in the community is good,” Boggan said Tuesday. “Maybe some other people will join us and donate some money and help some needy people fulfill their dreams, kinda like Aaron’s does.”

Boggan said Aaron’s continuing relationship is a natural fit.

“We’ve got something to offer,” he said. “We can offer equipment that the people need for these new houses. And just like us, we try to offer goods to people who may not be in a position currently for whatever reason to pay cash or have credit. … And in the same fashion, for people who can’t get a home or a place to raise their family, The Fuller Center uses its resources to make that happen for them. So, we’re similar in some ways.”

Click here to learn more about the Bicycle Adventure’s spring ride.