Pedaling for 24 hours straight on the flat, fertile terrain of central Iowa takes much strength and endurance; it’s not a feat many would attempt.

But Jeremy Williams, a sophomore in computer engineering, plans to cycle around central Iowa for 24 hours Friday to help raise funds for a new Boys and Girls Club of Ames.

Williams, president of the Towers Residence Association, said he got the idea for the bike-a-thon when he saw a sign explaining the club’s need for a new facility. The Boys and Girls Club of Ames has been located at 104 Kellogg St. since 1970.

“It was something good to get involved with,” he said. “We’re residents here also and so we should try to better the community we live in, and I feel that at Towers, we have the resources and the people to help the community.”

The Boys and Girls Club of Ames is a nonprofit youth club for kids 7 to 18-years-old, said Geff Gescheidler, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Ames. It is funded by the United Way, the city of Ames and private donations.

The club provides an array of programs, from personal development to environmental education.

“We’re a positive, safe environment in that it’s a drop-in facility where kids can participate in after-school activities in a supervised facility,” he said. “It’s a safe place, and it keeps kids off the streets.”

A bigger facility, however, is needed, Gescheidler said. The new building, with an estimated $1 million price tag, would include a gymnasium and outdoor field space.

Gescheidler said Williams’ efforts are wonderful.

“I’m glad to see people in the community and the university realize how important the Boys and Girls Club is,” he said. “I thank Jeremy and other people for doing what they’re doing.”

Gescheidler said he has already bought the land on South 5th Street, behind Century III Theatres, and he hopes to break ground at the new facility by the end of next summer.

Williams said he doesn’t know how much his trip will raise, but said he will try to “raise as much as possible” through donations.

He will begin at 5 p.m. Friday from the TRA. He will be accompanied by eight support drivers as he pedals his Trek bicycle south to Slater and Huxley.

From there, Williams will go onto Highway 210 to Nevada and will take the old highway back to Ames. He will ride this route until he has biked for the entire 24 hours.

In order to prepare for his long road trip, Williams has been riding about four days a week, averaging about 50 miles per day.

“I’m trying to ride as much as I can,” he said. “I usually go out in the morning and ride around Ames. In one week, I usually try to ride at least 200 miles, but I ride more on the weekends.”

Williams said it takes him about three hours to ride 50 miles.