NCSU students bike through Europe to help NC refugees

There's backpacking through Europe and then there's biking through Europe.

"We're young," NC State student Andrew Arden told ABC11. "And we drink a lot of coffee."

Arden and classmate Joseph Farley are on an 800-mile trek dubbed "Ride for Refugees NC," and they hope to raise awareness and raise money to aid refugees resettling in a new environment.

"Helping people integrate is a really important part of bringing refugees into the country," Farley told ABC11. "We want to try to show people how it's done well."

On the itinerary - Hamburg, Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - all major cities flooded with refugees from the Middle East. The influx of immigrants, many from war-torn countries such as Syria, have splintered communities across Europe and led to a resurgence of nationalism in those countries.

"It's a humanitarian issue," Arden said. "These are regular people just like you and I."

At 40 miles a day, the trip will take several weeks. Faisal Khan, with the Carolina Peace Center, is helping coordinate the trip from the US. Khan told ABC11 he's arranged for Arden and Farley to stay with host families, of which many are refugees that have settled in Europe.

"Nothing is more powerful than the human spirit," Faisal asserted to ABC11. "We are all a part of one humanity - how we rise to these challenges define us as people and also as a country."

Click here to support the Ride for Refugees.

All of the funds being raised will be given to Dorcas Ministries who will use 100% of the donations to assist refugee families in the Triangle Area of North Carolina.