Nov. 14-20 is National Homelessness and Hunger Awareness Week. As part of our effort to continue to further the dialogue around homelessness, this week we are hosting Personal Reflections on Homelessness here on the Back on My Feet blog.

For this series, we have asked one BOMF member in each city to reflect on their experience of homelessness.

Below, we speak to Jerel, a Chicago REST team member.

How would you describe the experience of being homeless in Chicago?

After the initial shock of being homeless finally sunk in, I knew I had to rely on other means to live. As a result of being homeless in a city, like Chicago, with endless opportunities, I quickly learned that only if you’re willing to help yourself then are people willing to help you get re-established.

What were people’s personalities like?

Although there are many conflicting personalities everywhere you go in life, I was actually surprised by the response of other homeless people such as myself willing to help me get settled in.

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Back on My Feet is all about relationships and the special moments that happen on a run and open the door for individual transformation.  Those moments are often small and can be lost in the greater shuffle, but as we pause for day of thanks, we at Back on My Feet want to thank everyone involved in this incredible organization. Every day, those small actions inspire others and we see tiny miracles happen in each city, team and stride. Read more…

Donnell M. recently graduated from the Maryland Food Bank Community Kitchen, a culinary skills training program.  The program was established earlier this year to provide job training and nutrition education, as well job-readiness skills to include resume writing, interview techniques, and effective communication tactics.

Donnell attended classes for 14 weeks.  Upon graduation, he received a full culinary uniform, cutlery kit, and textbook.  Donnell holds a ServSafe® certificate and a Certificate of Completion in the Culinary Arts.

Congratulations, Donnell!

Donnell M. (middle) and classmates at graduation

What a weekend for the Philadelphia chapter!

We had five residential members in the marathon, eight res members in the half and many non res in both races!  The festivities began on Saturday night with a pasta dinner hosted by Temple University’s School for Tourism and Hospitality.  Over 75 people attended the feast and heard marathon racing strategies from marathon veteran Dan Colameco.

Ahead of the race, CBS 3 profiled Malik Aziz, one of those five marathoners. Watch the piece here.

Runners and supporters gathered bright and early race day morning for stretching and our circle before toeing the line of this extra special event.  We had a huge circle that included many of our Fundracers and we were happy they got to experience BOMF.

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Gael Henville leading the Boston chapter's inaugural run on May 24, 2010. Photo by John Deputy.

The team leader of the Boston chapter’s New England Center for Homeless Veterans, Gael Henville, bravely spoke to those in attendance at last month’s first Orientation 2.0

Henville, now 41, was homeless for seven months due to finally leaving an abusive relationship, having “sought self-validation” through an addiction to abuse from age 19 to 35.

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Back on My Feet will expand to Indianapolis, Ind. on March 8, 2011, making it our seventh chapter.

See the press release here [PDF] and other 2011 expansion news here.

Get involved with the Indianapolis chapter here.

Back on My Feet will expand to Dallas-Fort Worth in February and then Atlanta and Minneapolis-St. Paul and likely another city later in the year.

“The support for Back on My Feet from the Indianapolis community has been extraordinary and we’revery grateful to have such strong partners in this city,” our founder Anne Mahlum said.

Photo Courtesy of Elizabeth Ryan Photography

Back on my Feet Baltimore hit the dance floor in our cocktail attire and running shoes for the second annual BOMF Bash, held on Nov. 18th.

Hosted by Baltimore’s Corporate Sponsor of the Year, Baltimore Marriott , more than 200 BOMF members, supporters and friends gathered at the downtown Marriott Inner Harbor-Camden Yards for a night of celebration and recognition of our chapter’s many accomplishments.

Guests mingled throughout the ballrooms before dinner service, placing bids at the silent auction tables and taking photos at the photo booth by Elizabeth Ryan Photography. A slideshow of team photos was displayed in the main ballroom during dinner service. The night’s festivities were kicked off by Program Director Jackie Truncellito and Director of Member Services Nikia Williams, as Jackie officially welcomed the guests to the event.

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New Jersey-based Iron Sound Productions helped create a video for our fourth annual Back on My Feet Philadelphia Bash presented by Stroehmann Bakeries.

Back on My Feet Chicago was the winner of a free pro-bono video produced by Storytellers for Good, a team of passionate journalists and photographers that seek to tell and promote stories about people and organizations making a positive difference.

Three nonprofits in Chicago were invited to compete for the video at a reception on Saturday, Nov. 6 at the Columbia Yacht Club, where the winner was decided by popular vote.

The Storytellers for Good team was on a quest to find one Chicago nonprofit with a great story tell, and Back on My Feet was just one of three organizations invited to deliver a short presentation about their mission and cause. Team REST member Jerel Washington reflected on his experience with the organization during Back on My Feet’s presentation. Since joining Back on My Feet just six weeks ago, Jerel has obtained employment, ran his first 5K and – on Saturday night – tackled his first public speaking engagement! Many of Jerel’s teammates came out to support him as he took on this new challenge.

We are all incredibly proud of Jerel and can not wait to see the beautiful video that Storytellers for Good will create for Back on My Feet Chicago!

Amos Marshall speaks at the first Back on My Feet Boston Orientation 2.0, a forum in which issues of homelessness.

Drinking was a long partner in Amos Marshall losing “the best jobs” and fizzling a marriage.

Now he’s on the long road to recovery.

At Boston’s first Orientation 2.0, a forum to engage the community on the challenges and solutions of homelessness, Marshall spoke about his own path, which you can watch below.