Bart Thompson and some friends are preparing for a 335-mile-long cycling trip from Ann Arbor to Harbor Springs, Michigan, to raise money for Haiti.

Thompson, a self-proclaimed "fitness junky," grew up in Ann Arbor and will be a pre-med junior at Stanford University in the fall. With help from friends, Thompson planned the trip, which is to take place Friday through Sunday to raise money to help International Samaritan build 18 schools in Haiti.

The charitable cycling trip will be the longest distance Thompson has ever traveled by bike. He said he thought his cause would be "something people could rally behind," and that the trip would be "challenging, but also fun."

"Especially in light of the earthquake there, people are aware it's pretty tough right now," he said.

The group will ride more than 300 miles in 3 days, stopping to camp in Ithaca and Higgins Lake. Because a few people can only join the group for a portion of the trip, Thompson didn't have an exact number of people who will be participating, but said about 6 to 8 cyclists will be in the group each day.

Tom Kelly helped to organize the trip.

"When Bart and I originally planned it, we were talking with International Samaritan and we wanted to make it a specific cause that people could feel connected to," said Kelly, an accounting and finance major at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and friend of Thompson's. "(Raising money to help International Samaritan build schools in Haiti) fit in perfectly with what we were doing and what they needed."

In 2007 as a student at St. John's Jesuit High School in Toledo, Thompson went on a school mission trip to Guatemala, an experience he says had a "major impact" on his life.

"I once heard that living in middle class America with an average salary puts you at the 97th percentile of the world's wealth. ... If I had been born somewhere else, I would have an entirely different life," he said. "You just have to take care of your fellow human beings."

Thompson said it will take about $5,000 to build one school, and the group hopes to raise at least that much money.

"Upwards of $15,000 would be ideal because that would cover the costs for three schools," Thompson wrote in an email.

As of Monday, International Samaritan spokesman Dennis Archambault said no donations had been received, though some donations have been made online.

"The people of Haiti need housing, clothing, and medical care. But most of all, they need hope — and hope comes through many ways and people. Education is one source of hope. Cycling is another," Father Don Vettese, founder and president of International Samaritan, said in the release. "These cyclists — educated in the Jesuit tradition — are carrying out our mission in their own unique way. We congratulate them for their effort and wish them Godspeed."

Kelly's message to potential donors: "Just because you can't travel down there, doesn't mean you can't help."

Donations can be made here, or send a check to International Samaritan, 614 S. Ashley St., Ann Arbor, MI 48103.

Heather Lockwood is a reporter for AnnArbor.com, reach her at heatherlockwood@annarbor.com or follow her on Twitter.