Whether you would like to run or volunteer, BoMF has a spot for you to participate in our 4th Annual Stroehmann Back on My Feet 20in24 Running Event in Philadelphia!  We will be kicking off this exciting 24-hour long event on the morning of July 16th until July 17th–don’t miss out on the fun!

Sign up to run in the 4th Annual Stroehmann Back on My Feet 20in24 and race around some of Philly’s most picturesque  spots, including Boat House Row, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Schuylkill River, and Kelly Drive! Enter one of the following events:

Lone Ranger Ultra Marathon: this ultra marathon will challenge our participants to see how many miles they can run in 24 hours. There is a $3000 cash prize for the top male and female and a cash bonus of $1000 if you beat last year’s record (146.75 for male runners and 125.18 for female runners).  All Regular Registration is SOLD OUT, but Charity Spots are still available for a $500 fundraising minimum.  Don’t hesitate to sign up, less than 10 charity spots are still left!

20in24 Relay Challenge : Round up your running group and join us in Philadelphia’s ONLY 24 hour relay race! Teams of five will choose from four relay levels ranging from 8.4-33.6 miles per teammate.  The top platinum team will receive a $2500 cash prize. Limited number of slots remain, so round up your friends and get ready to run!

Midnight Madness: Are you a night owl? Be one of the 525 eager racers at midnight on Saturday July 16th and run our 8.4 mile loop decked out in reflective gear! Only 200 spots left!

Pajama Loop Run: Rise and shine! Grab your onezie and start your day off right running the 8.4 mile loop in our Pajama Loop beginning at 6 AM on Sunday July 17th.

Not planning on running during 20in24? No problem! Sign up to volunteer and help make this event even better!

Stroehmann BoMF 20in24 is looking for 500 enthusiastic volunteers to lend us a hand in this exciting racing day!  There are a variety of jobs and tasks available, each one critical to ensuring the event’s success. Sign up HERE individually, or with your family and  friends!

Thanks to our amazing sponsors, 100% of the registration fees and fundraising donations will go directly back to BoMF to further help us aid our members on their journey to success and self sufficiency. Don’t miss an update, be sure to Like 20in24 on Facebook!

For all things 20in24, including fundraising, volunteering, and racing, please visit our event site or contact robert@backonmyfeet.org

Let’s face it: runners are a different breed. We run at the crack of dawn. We run in the pouring rain. We run in the sweltering heat and blistery snow. We spend far more time planning our runs than our meals. Some people think we are crazy. But the runners’ secret is that we know it’s what keeps us sane.

I have always been a lone runner, occasionally having a partner to run with here and there. But mostly alone. Until I joined BoMF…then it all changed. I now run with at least 10-15 other people each morning. Finding where I fit into the group was somewhat of a challenge for me. Am I a leader, a follower, a motivator or simply a loner? Would I ever fit into this large group of runners?

I had these fears until I stepped back and realized that every other person in the group was going through the same inner struggles. What I soon realized was that the opening questions (What’s your favorite dessert? What Smurf would you be? etc) would open up a can of worms to allow us all to get to know each other and bring out our personalities.

I am quickly learning that it doesn’t matter who is the fastest, who is the funniest, who has run the most races. Rather, it’s about all of us knowing that we are all there for the same reason: to run. We wake up each morning and put one foot in front of the other. Because we can.

We have found our feet. And they are moving forward as a team that we’re all proud to be a part of here in Indy.

This week Back on My Feet Boston has been celebrating our first birthday in Beantown. On Monday, all six BoMF teams assembled together for the very first time on the Boston Common to retrace the footsteps of the inaugural three teams’ first run on May 24, 2010. We’ve come a long way since Boston Rescue Mission, Hope House and St. Francis House members took those first tentative steps together. We’ve had our challenges and our triumphs. I’ve asked the Boston Executive Director, Vic Acosta, to share his thoughts with the BoMF community on our past year in Boston. The following is what Vic has to say.

Boston's inaugural run starting from the Boston Common on May 24, 2010

One year ago it was a fervent hope by everyone involved.  Back on My Feet had come to Boston and its success was based on faith by our community.  The program Anne Mahlum created and was changing lives in other cities was now in our city and it was now in our hands steady and unwise as they were.  The faith was immediate and unconditional: 300 volunteers and a funding level by our business community unprecedented in the programs history.  With that hope came the unconditional and unprecedented need to help our homeless.

One year later the teams have covered close to 9,000 miles and volunteers have contributed over 5,500 hours.  Over 100 shelter residents have been served, with 16 attaining permanent housing and another 18 obtaining employment.  Others have returned to their families and reconnected with loved ones and found their own fortunes.  And some have relapsed, returning to the cycle, and the road they must take.  There have been 9,000 miles and as many reasons for tears of all sorts.  Hundreds of hour of job training and education have been completed and perhaps even more important, thousands of hours in which people began to understand each other and themselves.  In so short a time we have doubled the number of teams and access to people we wish to help but we have also felt that to embrace greater numbers requires exponentially more love and compassion and resources.  The numbers tell a story but perhaps the greater wisdom is that in our first year we have learned what help looks like.

We have been blessed to see our Jackie Kenyon become a team captain, then a case manager at a partner shelter, and now perhaps a national spokesperson and advocate for the dignity and services our homeless need.  We have been guided by Stephen Karagiozis in his quest to not only reestablish his dignity but teach BoMF how to help others regain theirs.  We’ve felt Jeff Bowditch’s struggle with running through pain and his need to belong to a program that has brought him college education and a chance for him to support his own family.  And we’ve also been humbled by the loss of teammates and overjoyed by their return or desire to.  If there is a statistic that means anything it is that 100% of shelter residents who relapse or have had to leave their facility have reached out to Back on My Feet with the hopes of returning somehow someway.

Recently we met with an area expert with 25 years of experience with almost every aspect of homelessness in Boston.  In a matter of a few words he was able to identify what we have spent a year trying to define, describe, and share.  In a way it could be defined by a time: 5 a.m.

Five a.m. is what Back on My Feet defends and restores.  It is the singular crucible that enables our homeless to be other than what our city and culture define them.  Five a.m. is the purpose of employment partners, service providers, educational opportunities and all other aspects of the service nature of Back on My Feet.  It is the option and wall that counters the empty hours created by getting bedded down at oh so early hours in a shelter.  It can be said that 5 a.m. is natural to two populations: the homeless and runners.  It was at such hours that Anne saw the need and opportunity.  And it is at such a time that our homeless are awake and awaiting the gray day.  Back on My Feet embraces and colors the day at 5 a.m.

So, after a year help looks like this: Every opportunity and measure of wisdom our Advisory Board provides; every possible assistance our shelter directors can give; every dollar; every job training session, race bib, running shirt afforded to our people; every tireless hour our Team Leaders put in; every heartbreak and joy is to give 5 a.m. meaning and hope.

At 5 a.m. a runner in Boston puts on their shoes and the road goes on forever.  At one we have become a community of serenity and acceptance.  Happy Birthday, Boston.

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Follow Back on My Feet on Twitter @backonmyfeet for all the latest BoMF updates, upcoming events, and more!

Don’t miss what is going on in your neighborhood–follow your local BoMF Chapter!

Philly: @bomfphilly

Baltimore: @bomfbaltimore

DC: @bomfdc

Boston: @bomfboston

Chicago: @bomfchicago

Indianapolis: @bomfindy

Dallas-Fort Worth: @bomfdfw

Thank you for your continued support!

Saturday May 7, 2011 was an electric day for Back on My Feet Indianapolis.  Members from Progress House and HVAF ran in the Finish Line 500 Festival 5K, which just so happens to be a part of the biggest half-marathon in the nation, the OneAmerica 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.

Read more…

While Maurice is quiet, the tic-tacs that he keeps in pockets are not.

“They help me keep a good pace” he says.

This must work because Maurice does not slow down while he is running.

Maurice says he first started running with Back on My Feet because he thought it would be a productive way to spend his time. He keeps running because it helps him to stay focused during the day. Maurice describes running as an almost meditative process, “focusing on running helps keep me on track”.

You can usually hear Maurice jogging up to morning circle from almost a block away with those little white breath fresheners bouncing around in his pocket. He has been running with the Ready, Willing and Able team for the past five months and has surpassed most of his goals. Maurice started running with Back on My Feet hoping to complete a half marathon. He reached this milestone when he completed the Caesar Rodney half in well under two hours.

Maurice also has goals outside of running. He is about to enter his job search phase at RWA and has been very proactive with gaining a slew of trainings and certifications. Not only has he  received certificates for housekeeping training at the OIC, but he is  also a certified forklift operator, arc welder, and basic welding technician.

Despite all of these accomplishments, he continues to look to the horizon by setting goals.  Having completed his half marathon goal, he has set his sights on the Philadelphia Full Marathon taking place this fall. He is also planning to get his Servsafe certification which will allow him to work in food services. Maurice is getting ready to cast a very wide net when he begins his job search phase; proactively working with RWA staff to identify and pursue the best long-term job opportunities

“Never tell yourself you can’t. You will be surprised at what you are capable of.”

If you find yourself on Broad Street around 5:30 in the morning keep your ears open for the sound of Maurice’s tic- tacs.

Team HVAF and their post race swagger

Now that we’ve got a couple races under our belts, I’m noticing a bit of BoMF swagger as our runners continue to log  more miles and pick up their pace. Just a couple weeks ago Indy runners from Progress House and HVAF competed in the 5K event that’s part of the Indianapolis 500 Festival Mini-Marathon.   Also known and the “Indy Mini” the race is noted for being the largest half marathon in the United States offering runners the unique experience of running on the Indy 500 race track.  Indeed, most runners on the track actually stop, stoop and kiss the bricks at the start/finish line.  The expo is also noted for amazing exhibitors, cool t-shirts and racing incentives. Pictured below is HVAF runner Ron who also visited the expo.  He wants to know if instead of getting his wrist watch incentive BoMF would consider working a deal for the Indy pace car.

Ron from Indy's Team HVAF asks, "Hey, how about a ride in the pace car for the next mileage incentive?"

With just under 350 days until next year’s Indy Mini, our guys are already thinking about going the longer distance and wondering what the hats and t-shirts will look like.

When it rains it pours, and that was certainly the case for Team MCVET this month.  In addition to all the wet weather, April brought many more accomplishments and great memories to all of our members.

To kick the month off, we welcomed Henry T. and Dennis W. as our two newest residential members.  Dennis quickly established himself as one of the fastest members ever to hit 10 miles with the team, upping his mileage with every run.  We had plenty of reasons to celebrate our fellow team members’ accomplishments as the month continued.  On the evening of April 14^th, MCVET runners Arnold S. and Jeff W. were formally recognized as BoMF Alums at the Alumni Induction Ceremony.  It was a truly tremendous evening, and there was an overwhelming number of MCVET team members on hand to offer their support and congratulations. It especially great to see was the number of MCVET alums who came out to welcome their teammates to alumni status. Alum Darryl M. spoke at the event, offering his own reflections on the significance of becoming a Back on My Feet alum and maintaining close relationships with the team. Read more…

Greetings from the nearest Starbucks! The BoMF Dallas staff would like to take a second to explain just why we are seeking office space when working from home is so comfortable (literally). So here are the top three reasons why your organization should welcome in a hardworking, passionate team of four combating homelessness in Dallas.

1.       We work flexible hours.
Not quite sure you can handle a team of four for nine hours a day? That’s okay! Our team concentrates on business development, nurturing our Next Steps program and community outreach. What does that mean for you? We are rarely at our desks. Only have something available Tues-Thurs or have two cubicles available on Friday afternoons and Wednesdays between 12p to 3p? We are extremely flexible and will graciously accept any opportunity to place our files in a drawer.

2.       We are a small team.
Chris, Lea and Kristen make up the team here at BoMF Dallas. Yes, we’re growing, but we only plan to have one additional staff member join us in the next six months. We all smell great, never yell and have tons of positive energy to bring to your workspace. We really could fit in a sizable broom closet, but could definitely get used to stretching out in a warehouse space.

3.       We are passionate.
Let us brighten up your day with stories from our members rising above conflict on a daily basis. Our team has an infectious spirit that is the direct result of our members. We are looking for an organization that shares our passion and understands the mission of our organization: creating a community of determination, self-sufficiency and accountability.

Have a lead? Please contact Chris Jones at chris@backonmyfeet.org.

When you gathered last year in the corrals for the start of the marathon or half, 13 residential members were there with you—5 to complete the full, and 8 to complete the half. All five, Malik, Eric, Azriel, Stacy and Calvin, were first timers with the goal of finishing with a smile. Everyone did an amazing job!

If you’re looking to have an awesome experience like this one, or for a great way to help raise money for Back on My Feet – consider running the 2011 Philadelphia Marathon for Back on My Feet! The Marathon will be held Sunday, November 20th, 2011, and runs through historic Philadelphia, giving you an amazing view of the Art Museum, Kelly Drive, and the Schuylkill River while running for a great cause. As a FundRacer for Back on My Feet, you will receive the following benefits:

• Entry into the 2011 Philadelphia Marathon
• BoMF EnduraFit Shirt
• BoMF Cotton Shirt
• BoMF Window Sticker
• BoMF Wristband
• BoMF Running hat
• BoMF Hooded Sweatshirt

“I have had such a great time in the past couple weeks getting to know more about BoMF. I had a general knowledge of what the program was, but getting to know the people has been a truly amazing experience.  It’s been less than a month, but every morning I’ve run with BoMF has a been a positive and reflective way to start the day, and something I definitely plan to continue.  I have volunteered in a number of different settings in the past, but I think what has made this experience so unique for me is that the structure of this program blurs the lines of volunteer and resident to create an environment where everyone can learn and grow as people and as runners to achieve inspiring results.” – Deirdre Darragah 2010, Philadelphia Marathon FundRacer.

Log onto www.philadelphiamarathon.com to see what Race Weekend holds in store, such as a health and fitness expo and kids’ fun run, or to view a map of the course. In order to become a FundRacer for Back on My Feet, please email Cathryn Sanderson or call at 215-772-1080 x111. For more information, visit www.backonmyfeet.org. We hope to see you there!