Christina Genco dedicated her 22 years of life to her two passions – cycling and volunteerism. She was engaging in both of these activities on a cross-country charity bike ride when she was killed after being struck by a sports utility vehicle in Rainseville, Ala on Monday. She was 22.
Genco, who graduated from the Boston University School of Hospitality Administration in May 2010, had been on the road for two weeks with her Bike & Build team, campaigning for affordable housing.
“It’s heart breaking when it’s someone who is doing good things, who is a recent graduate and who has her whole life in front of her,” said BU spokesman Colin Riley.
Genco was born and raised in Newton. Her mother, Caroline Attardo Genco, works for the BU School of Medicine as a professor of medicine and microbiology and for the Goldman School of Dental Medicine as an associate professor.
A Bike & Build veteran, Christina Genco was co-leading a cycling group planning to travel from Charleston, S.C. to Santa Cruz, Calif. The purpose of the bike rides was to raise awareness and donations for Habitat for Humanity’s projects to build affordable housing.
“She was genuine in doing what she wanted to do,” said Jen Salman, a program and internship coordinator at SHA. “That was the type of person she was. Enthusiastic about giving back all the time.”
Salman said she first met Genco as an SHA student who often rode her bike to class. A cyclist herself, Salman said she spoke with Genco about their hobby and came to know her as an avid volunteer.
Genco went to Salman to schedule several volunteer projects, including working as an event planner at Home Sweet Home Builders, a Cambridge-based housing assistance organization, Salman said. She continued volunteering for the organization well after she had completed her community service requirement and was scheduled to return this summer.
“Every year the same event planner would come to SHA to interview for Home Sweet Home and she would jokingly say, ‘Do you have another Christina?’” Salman said.
“She struck gold with Bike & Build,” Salman said. “It afforded her the opportunity to combine her two passions of giving and cycling.”
Genco had participated in several Bike & Build rides, including a ride from Boston to Santa Barbara in 2009, according to the organization’s website.
According to a Jan. 20 blog post, Genco said she concentrated her volunteer efforts on affordable housing, which she considered a critical issue a critical that “many people simply overlook.”
“While there is no simple fix, there is still a lot that individuals do,” she wrote. “I think that B&B definitely does its part to help raise money and awareness, which is the first step.”
Jeremy Strong, Genco’s friend and co-leader on the bike trip, updated her blog to explain what happened the day she died. While he described the day as “tragic,” he also encouraged people to feel happy “because she was happy.”
“While Christina’s life may have ended on that day, her legacy lives on in everyone that knew her,” he wrote. “I know that she taught us all more than a couple of life lessons and it will honor her as we live those life lessons out.”
Magni Funeral Home in Newton will hold a wake for Christina Genco on Sunday June 12 from 3 to 7 p.m. The funeral will follow on Monday June 13 at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady Help of Christians Church.
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Wow, what an awful tragedy. My condolences to the Genco family and all of Christina’s friends. One of my friends was killed on a charity bike tour in Canada last September, so I know how stunned all will be because of this.