Bryson Alexander of Team Vets (New England Center for Homeles Veterans) found after returning from service in Iraq he did not like heat any longer.  This prompted him to move from his home state of Florida to the Boston area.  The ex-Marine who served four years and in active duty also found that his drinking lifestyle was taking him nowhere.

“I had given up on myself completely.  I found myself in a VA program which led me to the New England Center for Homeless Veterans in Boston.”

Once he was at Vets he got accustomed to the bunk beds and the group living but wanted more.  He had dreams of living alone and going to school.  He needed a positive outlet.  That’s when he found Back on My Feet.  He had always loved running when he was a Marine and now with such a motivating group he felt accountable and part of something that could move him forward.

Bryson is philosphical about his situation and those of his teammates, “We’re not bad people.  We’ve just lost our way.  Back on My Feet helps create a way.”

Bryson is preparing to enter Lesley College at the end of January and will be moving into his own place at the start of February.  He wants to stay with team Vets and loves that New England has four seasons.  “The hardest part of Back on My Feet is running in such extreme cold.  But it’s so easy to run with this group.”

Do you want to make a difference while doing something you love? Back on My Feet has the perfect opportunity for you!

We have partnerships with dozens of the most popular races in the United States, so those who wish to make their racing experience more meaningful can FundRace for Back on My Feet. As a FundRacer, you will receive guaranteed entry into the race and several other great benefits, such as free training; e-mails with training tips, inspirational stories and more; race day VIP amenities; an exclusive Back on My Feet FundRacing shirt and gear; a personal fundraising website; a fundraising kit to help you reach your goal and much, much more! Specific benefits vary slightly from event to event, so click on the links below to learn more.

2011 FundRacing Opportunities:

March 20 – New York City Half-Marathon

March 26 – SunTrust National Marathon - SunTrust matching up to $20,000 raised, see link for more details!

April 10 – Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K

April 10 – Washington, D.C. George Washington Parkway Classic

May 1 – Blue Cross Blue Shield Broad Street Run (Philadelphia)

May 7 – OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon (Indianapolis)

May 20-21 – Ragnar Relay Series New England

June 4 – Ruckus Boston

June 10-11 – Ragnar Relay Series Chicago

June 18 – Baltimore 10-Miler

July 16-17 – The Stroehmann Back on My Feet 20in24 Race Event

August 14 – Falmouth Road Race (Boston)

August 14 – Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon

September 11 – The Nation’s Triathlon

September 16-17 – Reach the Beach New Hampshire

September 23-24 – Ragnar Relay Series Washington, D.C.

Oct. 9 – Bank of America Chicago Marathon (registration opens Feb. 1, but you can pre-register today with BOMF!)

October 30 – Marine Corps Marathon

Nov. 6 – ING New York City Marathon

For more information on these races and more, please contact Robert Nonemacker at robert@backonmyfeet.org.

BOMF Philadelphia members participated in the Pickle Run in Ridley Creek State Park on Saturday, January 15^th. The race was a prediction run, so it didn’t matter how fast you ran, just how close you ran to the time you guessed before the race. Over 40 members ran the 3 mile course, which included a little ice and snow. We are very proud of the 7 first-time racers who decided to challenge themselves with a race! A pickle run would not be complete without pickles. Not only was there a guy dressed as a pickle, but there were also several pickles hidden along the course—BOMF members found 5 of them! Joe N. was among the few who predicted his time accurate–and his prize? A Pickle!

A special thank you to Steve, Kristen and Nick for helping with registration! Missed the pickle run? Check out pictures here and join BOMF for its next race: the Frostbite 5 Miler.

Coming off of the season of thanks, we have plenty to be thankful for at ARW.  This past month we celebrated the work of Deirdre, Karen and Ber as they officially stepped down as team CORE leaders.  They have been on board with the team since March when we first rumbled the streets of Fed Hill.  We would honestly not be where we are now without their time and effort consistently being there to support the team.  Now on board are Jenny L. (Social), Michelle B. (Non-res), and Ryan G. (Coach) who all stepped into open CORE roles on the team.  We are glad to have their energetic support as we move forward into 2011.

Also new to the team is resident Shaka Ifill, who shows a lot of enthusiasm in the mornings, even recently during some really cold days.  He greets everyone in the circle warmly and is taking the initiative to be a significant part of the team.  Deserving of another shout out during these cold days is Joseph.  The rough and snowy weather and darker mornings makes it more difficult for Brother Joe to maneuver quite the same as he was able to when he was wearing those stylish tank tops during the summer.  Regardless, Joe consistently makes the effort to be out for morning runs.  Joe also brightened all of BOMF’s evening at the holiday party with a thought-filled blessing before we celebrated the holidays together.

The next day after the party served as one of December’s highlights as Brian C. tried his best to beat the Guinness record for most “Running Santas” as he supplied suits for James, Kevin, Tyler, and Deirdre (& himself) and ran the race alongside Mark W., Sue, Bonnie, and others from BOMF.   Kevin hit five miles for the first time, as did James, who was playing a game of tag with Nikia all the way to the finish!

Another highlight from December was Darius’ graduation from JumpStart, a thirteen-week long training program from apprentices in construction.  Darius stood proud at his ceremony with many of his teammates close by cheering him on with the loudest showing of all graduate supporters at the ceremony. (Thank you Kamika Williams, among others!)

It’s a long December, but there’s reason to believe, that maybe this year will be better than the last.

Santa! I know him! - ARW at the Celtic Solstice

Read more…

Neither rain nor snow, nor sleet nor dark of night shall stay these runners from the swift completion of their appointed routes.

So maybe that slightly modified statement wasn’t originally said about Back on My Feet runners but this winter it very much holds true.  BOMF DC had a fantastic snow-run last weekend, with some members covering 12 miles in preparation for the upcoming SunTrust National Marathon in March.  Snow started falling as soon as the runners took off on their route from Union Station.  Todd M., team leader from Blair House, was smart enough to bring his camera to capture some of the great moments.  While there were a few moments of pulling and dragging, everyone had a wonderful (and safe!) snow run.

Members of the Baltimore Station team celebrated the holidays together in many ways during December. We saw the lighting of Baltimore’s Washington Monument at the beginning of the month and enjoyed a BOMF-Baltimore-wide crock-pot-themed potluck holiday party on the 17th. The attendees were dressed festively (including our very own Greg S. as Santa!), were full of good spirits and enthusiasm, and their crock pot dishes were delicious. Our residential members unanimously voted the cheese dip appetizer as the best of the thirty or so crock pot creations, and many are still looking for the recipe.

After the Friday-night feast, our team joined thousands of other runners for the popular Celtic Solstice 5 mile race in Druid Hill Park. Though the hills were tough, members enjoyed the scenic, snow-covered course. Residential member David A. was proud to complete the race, his longest run with our group to date. BSTAT training coach Dan took home 8th place in what was a very competitive field of runners.

On December 21st, the longest night of the year, our team joined many in Baltimore City for the annual Homeless Person’s Memorial in the Inner Harbor. There we remembered those homeless people who lost their lives on the streets during 2010. That same week, many members of our team helped residential member Patrick B. put together holiday gift bags full of healthy sandwiches and snacks. On Christmas, Patrick spent hours handing out more than 100 bags to homeless people living all over Baltimore. Patrick reported that his efforts were enormously fulfilling, and he plans to make his effort even larger next year. Patrick said, “Even I have a lot more than a lot of people out there. I’ve been there, I know that they appreciate it so much.”

At the end of the month, BSTAT welcomed two new residential members to our team, David W. and Sam M. Both are already running strong and they, along with the rest of the team, are looking forward to our next race, coming up in early January.

Baltimore Station - December 2010

Read more…

On Monday, January 17^th, Back on My Feet members joined several thousand people at Girard College for the MLK Day of Service. In addition to the college, projects were held throughout the greater Philadelphia region where over 75,000 people joined together to give back to their communities.

BOMF held a winter coat drive and collected over 300 coats! We owe a very special thank you to Enterprise for bringing us the largest donation of the day. Thank you to Kevin, Mark, George L., George A., Shabazz, Mohamed, Mereald, Christine, Marie, Greer, Kristen, Christina, Sarah, Michelle and Katie for helping to sort and bag the coats.  Everything will be donated to homeless facilities in the city.

More pictures can be found here. If you did not get a chance to donate a coat and are interested in doing so, contact Katie, katie.p@backonmyfeet.org.

Post-marathon blues were no match for Team Christopher’s Place, as November and December were full of running, racing, social activities, and holiday celebrations.  Just three weeks after the Baltimore Running Festival, the team participated in the Tuerk House 5k, held on November 6^th.   Robert T. made his BOMF race debut – congratulations, Robert! Donnell, Chris, Tony, Suge, and John returned to racing after strong showings in the BRF, and Mike H. ran his first 5k since the summer’s Right Side Foundation race.  Team Organizer Preston, Non-Res Coordinator Sadie, Justin, and Amy all ran in the race as well.

Team CP at the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler

Next, the team laced up their running shoes yet again to hit the dancefloor at Baltimore’s 2^nd Annual Bash. Held at BOMF Baltimore Company of the Year,  Marriott, BOMF enjoyed dinner and desserts while bidding on silent auction items and taking photos.  CP’s John R. gave one of the evening’s speeches on his experiences with BOMF, and John and Donnell were both recognized for receiving votes as BOMF Res Member of the Year.  Sadie and Erin both worked behind the scenes on the silent auction and bash committees. It was truly a memorable night! Read more…

Looking for motivation to keep you New Year’s resolution of getting into shape, running a longer distance or traveling for a race? Back on My Feet has a few entries into the NYC Half Marathon left! By putting more meaning behind your miles than just distance, you will be able to help individuals experiencing homelessness move their lives forward.

Back on My Feet offers great benefits to your FundRacing experience including:

• Guaranteed paid entry into the 2011 NYC Half Marathon
• Personalized fundraising page to make collecting donations easy and fun
• Fundraising support by Back on My Feet staff and other resources
• Back on My Feet gear including shirts, hooded sweatshirts and much more
• Emails with updates on Back on My Feet members and program including training tips, inspirational stories and more

For more information, please contact Robert Nonemacker  at robert@backonmyfeet.org or visit out 2011 NYC Half Marathon web page.