Wednesday August 3^rd the team members from Clean and Sober streets went out to support the Washington Nationals in their game versus the Atlanta Braves. It was a cheerful, fun afternoon of team building as everyone got to know each other a little better between handfuls of popcorn. The rain didn’t dampen anyone’s spirit and the whole group celebrated by singing Take me Out to the Ball Game in honor of one member Charles King’s first baseball game. We were even featured on the jumbotron!

CSS Volunteers and Members @ the Nationals Game

John M., Shon K., Chris G. Alyson S.

To walk into a new community and to immediately step up and be a leader within that community is a very difficult thing for anyone to do.  Yet this is exactly what Matt K., who goes by Shon, did at Blair House in May of this year.  To be fair, Shon did have help from another new member at that time, Chris G.  Both men came to the program and immediately set the expectation for themselves for a high level of community engagement, effort and consistency.  It is this support and encouragement from each other that both men were able to set an example that is being followed by the members who have joined them on the Back on My Feet Washington, DC team at Blair House.  Being a somewhat modest man, Chris wanted the focus on the Chapter Member of the Month award to be Shon, however I would have been remiss to not mention the support and encouragement that Chris has provided to the team.

Being a part of a team is perhaps in Shon’s blood.  Being one of 12 children(!) there were two basketball teams worth of kids running around the house, and it’s safe to say that working well with others was a skill he developed early on.  Growing up on a farm in North Carolina, “I’m what you call a country boy” was the description about his childhood that I received.  Shon moved up to Washington, DC when he was 12 years old and had a hard time adjusting.  He was very athletic in his teenage years playing football and running, but that wasn’t enough to keep him engaged in school.  Falling in with the wrong crowd and into the fast lifestyle that the streets offered, Shon eventually found himself living on the streets.  “I felt like I had lost my place.”  The cycle of drug and alcohol abuse started to set in.  Brief stints in jail, treatment programs that didn’t work out, that is until he found himself at a program called Second Genesis.  A drug and alcohol treatment program, Shon found understanding and support there and reached a point that he “decided I didn’t want to go back to the streets and that I wanted to do something different.”  Still needing support after his time at Second Genesis, Shon made his way to Blair House in May of this year.  Blair is where he first heard about Back on My Feet and also first thought to himself that, “I can’t do that.”  Thankfully that first thought was followed by, “but I should give it a shot anyways.”

“I liked that there wasn’t pressure.  Just come out and do the best that you can – that echoed with me from back in the day, my mother and father always said that.  I wanted to prove to myself that I could do what I set out to do.  I don’t like falling short.  I’ve got my wind back, not all of it, but I’m doing well.”

“Running and Back on My Feet have really helped me out.  Puts me in a group of people that have nothing but my best interests in mind.  The first thing you here in the morning is, ‘how you doing?’, ‘how’s it going?’, ‘how are you feeling?’.  When you have that you feel like you’re with your family.  You’re around them every day.”

“There’s a lot of unity here – it’s not about being black or white.  It’s one big family and I appreciate that.  Plus jogging around and going to different events.  You see a lot of people looking at you, asking who you are and what you’re about, it makes them want to join.  That unity is wonderful.  When I’m jogging in the morning it feels like we’re navy seals going out on a mission.  I like that.  I don’t care if I’m tired, or if the weather is bad, as soon as I’m out the door I know something is going to change and it’s going to be good.  A good change is coming.  I don’t ever want to miss back on my feet.  John, Stephanie, all of you come out and inspire us.  Dave, houston, Alyson, just wonderful.

Shon talked about the strength and determination that he’s seen in Chris.  “He [Chris] came out before me and started running, and to see him running out there and the effort that he puts forth.  He always worked, regardless of whether he walked or not, he always finished what he started.  He will always cheer you on and give you encouragement.  He won’t sugar coat it, he’s like a distant brother.  He’s from up north and I’m from North Carolina, we can both relate to one thing, running.  He’ll help me get prepared to do my best and give it my best shot, to challenge myself – we ran in Georgetown, and Chris came passed me, I said “let’s go, let’s do it” that’s the same way he does with me.  He’s encouraging, cheers you along, he’s coaching you and gets you psyched up.  He’s a good wingman.  I’m glad to have him on the team.”

When asked what he would like to say to people who have just heard about Back on My Feet, Shon said, “When you come out and volunteer and meet someone you’re running with, you don’t know anything about each other.  I look forward to seeing the volunteers, their lives are like mine, we’re not perfect.  When I see the volunteers I hear about them and their lives, where they’re traveling and they work so hard, but they still take the time to come out here to this house and be with us.  That hour that you’re awake you’re not using, you’re not in danger, you’re not doing anything negative, it’s strictly positive, when you step out there with the volunteers, you get to see places and do things you haven’t seen or done before.  The nutritionist that brings us fruit and information, we have trainers, we have people helping us out and getting us ready for the marathon.  It’s the whole package, look at all that they have in front of them, it can be a life changing experience for you, but it can be a life changing experience for the people that you are coming out here to help.”

The article “‘Homelessness doesn’t care’: A life on the streets” provides an honest and poignant view into the reality of homelessness; and the accompanying instability and vulnerability. This article, written by Paul D. Shinkman of wtop.com, shares the story of a hard-working man’s fall from grace, and his struggle to build himself back up.

WASHINGTON — Alan Banks had a comfortable life. After a four-year stint in the military, the D.C. native, now 52, earned top secret clearance and worked for a series of government agencies as a security and protection officer, assisting in guarding presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, he said.

He earned a salary “well into” six figures, and with his wife of two decades was raising two kids as they built a second house on the Chesapeake Bay. He owned a boat, a truck and had an additional $100,000 worth of belongings in storage the last time he inventoried it.

He dealt with the homeless population in D.C. for years as part of his security work, he said, and never thought he would end up in that situation himself.

“I never asked myself or wondered once, ‘How does a homeless person survive?’” he said. “I never asked or wanted those things, because I’ll never need to have that information because I’ll never be homeless.”

But a series of incidents in his life left the protection professional out in the cold for six years.

“The joke was on me,” he said.

At 1:30 p.m. on a Thursday, Banks consults his digital watch. It’s two hours after lunchtime in downtown D.C., so he knows exactly where to find edible, discarded food.

But learning how to survive on the streets was an uphill battle. One of the most difficult parts of homelessness initially is the absence of instruction, he said.

“If they’d thrown me in the woods when I became homeless, I would have been fine because of my career training,” Banks said.

The Air Force and Department of Justice veteran spent most of his professional life in protective services and weapons training, he said. His last position before ending up on the streets was as a supervisor at the Smithsonian police force where he was a weapons instructor.

Banks is among the 20 to 25 percent of homeless people who suffer from some form of mental illness, according to a National Coalition for the Homeless estimate. He has clinical depression — which would not be diagnosed until 1996 when his father died — and is a self-described introvert, who had to work for much of his life at interacting with others.

Without any idea of what to do when his life fell apart in 2004, Banks spent his first three months of homelessness without showering, and without speaking to anyone.

He describes his first “wake-up call” to the severity of his situation, when he laughed at an article he read in a newspaper and had to turn around to see where the noise came from.

“I’d forgotten what my voice sounded like,” he said.

But there are some sounds he’ll never forget.

To continue reading, click here

Nick F. grew up just north of Washington, DC in southern Maryland.  His home town played a big part in his early life, and that influence is as clear as the nickname of the city tattooed on the back of his hands.  Initially, one of the most notable features of Nick are the tattoos that he has up and down both of his arms.  But after you get to know Nick, his determination and quiet resolve are the things that begin to stand out more than the brightly colored designs that adorn his arms.

Nick is the team captain for the Back on My Feet team at Clean and Sober Streets (CSS) here in Washington, DC.  Nick came to CSS just before the holiday season in December of last year.  That transition into a program such as CSS was difficult, the rules and regulations made leaving a very tempting option.  This is the first time that he has been in a treatment program, but now that he does have the support he needs, as well as going to AA meetings regularly, he’s making progress in his recovery.  He’s found a supportive network of other people who have been through experiences that are familiar to him.  The advice and counsel offered by others in these programs have provided insight into his recovery and the way in which he can make the most of his time while at CSS.

The first month he was at CSS Nick noticed something.  He saw several different members of the program walking around with running shoes and shirts that said something about feet.  It was the way that these members carried themselves that first caught his attention.  Those members walked a little taller, spoke with more confidence and were leaders within the walls of Clean and Sober Streets.  In the early stages Nick worried that Back on My Feet was out of his league, but it was because the program was a challenge he wanted to be a part of it.  However, starting a 5:45am running program in January is not the easiest time to take on a new challenge.  The wind and the cold make two very strong points for staying in bed in the morning and adding another blanket to the bed.  But the easy path in life is usually not going to get you where you want to go.

And going is just what Nick did.  With just under 6 months in the program, Nick has a 99% attendance and 187 miles to his name.  Impressive stats for anyone, and even more so when you know that Nick stands 6’3” and weighed almost 300 lbs when he started the program.  Coming in at well under 250 lbs now, it’s safe to say that Nick has been out there running a lot!  Over the past few weeks he has been running on non-BoMF running days, and even putting in two-a-days at times.  All of this running has a purpose, and it is with this purpose that he focuses his efforts.  The fall half marathon training is starting up very soon, and he wants that solid base before he steps into the training schedule.  The Woodrow Wilson Half Marathon in early October is on the calendar and will be a great showcase for the effort that Nick has put in over the past 6 months and in the coming few months.

As much as we want to celebrate a good running success story, it’s really the success story part that Nick is focused on.  Back on My Feet is a stepping stone where people can find the support and encouragement they need to help them reach their goals.  Nick’s main goal is to get back into the life of his two children.  The steps to reach this goal involve progressing in his recovery and finding sustainable employment.  With the help of the Back on My Feet community Nick is working towards his goals.  David L., non-residential member of Clean and Sober Streets said, “he always has a great attitude. He has been a great team captain, and he keeps his teammates informed and motivated. His commitment to recovery and running has been admirable, and he made tremendous progress in both areas.”

More than anything else Nick has set the standard for the team in terms of attendance, attitude and commitment.  When he first joined CSS he had a lot of veteran members to look up, the ones that walked tall and spoke with confidence.  Over time and with a great work ethic, Nick is now the one that other members look up to, that they see as a leader in Back on My Feet and in Clean and Sober Streets.  Leadership is not something he sought out, or worked towards, but it is something that he grew into as he made progress as a runner and as a community member.

Something Nick said while he was talking about his love of running sums up the effort of Back on My Feet to use running as a vehicle to move people towards self sufficiency, he said, “What I like about long distance running is that you can have a bad start and still recover from it.”

This is a testimonial written by volunteer Dave F. from La Casa. He is an ultra marathon runner who has been sharing his training experience with team members Walter B. and Chris G. for the upcoming Stroehmanns 20in24 race in Philadelphia.

Emery House Alumni Member Chris G.

Walter & I are both scheduled to run in the “Lone Ranger” category in the upcoming BoMF 20in24 fund raiser in less than 2 weeks in Philadelphia.  We are both excited and terrified because the idea of running for 24 hours is, simply stated, over-the-top daunting.  One way that we are training is to go on 12-hour, all night runs.  We did it once from Emery House over the Memorial Day weekend and we just did it again, well almost did it again, over the 4th of July weekend. We started running on Sunday, July 3rd, at 6pm in the evening and our plan was to run out-and-back on the Mt. Vernon Trail for six 8.4 mile legs which is the same distance as the “loops” at 20in24.   We stashed my car in Crystal City and it was loaded with provisions and just about everything we might need like change of clothes, dry socks, and running shoes. We started running just past 6pm and made it a few hundred yards north of the 14th St. Bridge when the thunder & lightening started.  We dashed back and hung around under the bridge for 20-30 minutes.  Eventually we continued north on the Mt. Vernon Trail and retraced to the car for an 8.3 mile leg.  Took a short break and started running again, this time south into the Old Town Alexandria waterfront area.  We had just reversed direction when Bridget who is on the La Casa Team called. Back at the car we met Bridget, Brittany & Jonah, non-res I run with on La Casa Team.  Walter ran with them while I hung in the small park for a much needed break.  They ran a 7+ mile leg around Crystal City, Pentagon City, and out-and-back to Old Town Alexandria, ending back at my car.  They split around midnight and Walter & I headed out on the same route – we decided that the trail was just too dark to run comfortably at night. We ran north, looped around Pentagon City, ran past the car and headed south.  Just south of Crystal City we stopped at the Renaissance Hotel to use the restroom.  As we were leaving, we mutually decided that we had had enough and wanted to call it off.  That was around 1:00am and we hiked back to the car and called it a night. Walter logged 28 miles and I was just short of 22 miles.  We were trying to run 50 miles in 12 hours and we just didn’t quite make it.  We’ve each run a lot farther than that before [excuse alert!] but it is just awful hard to START running at 6pm but this was good experience.  An important part of being able to run distances further than a marathon is just learning what to drink, eat, taking periodic short breaks, and just getting used to running at an easy pace for many, many hours.  Sunday night, we did indeed experiment with those parts of running. Even though we didn’t reach our mileage goal, we’re both more-and-more confident that both Walter & I will be able to complete nearly 100 miles at 20in24 although it is kind of scary to even think about running that far!

N Street Village hosted their Fifth Annual N Street Village Luncheon to benefit the community and raise awareness about the programs they offer.  The event was held at the National Press Club with N Street Village Executive Director Schroeder Stribling kicking off the afternoon.  Back on My Feet was presented with the Community Ally Award for the support that our program has offered women in the N Street Village community.  BoMF Washington DC Executive Director Autumn Campbell accepted the award for BoMF and gave a wonderful speech (the audience laughed, the audience cried) to the 100+ person crowd filling the banquet room on the top floor.

Dr. Johnnetta Cole, Director of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African Art and President Emerita of Bennett College for Women and Spelman College gave what was arguably the greatest introduction speech the world has ever heard.  With a voice that conjures up memories of traditional Southern Baptist preachers, Dr. Cole brought Susan L. Taylor, Editor-in-chief emeritus of Essence magazine and founder of the National CARES Mentoring Movement up to the stage to give the keynote address.  Speaking on the urgent need for community building surrounding youth and vulnerable women, Susan had a captive audience that was undoubtedly motivated by her words.  The call to action heard today will benefit the N Street Village community as well National CARES Mentoring Movement.

Many Back on My Feet NSV runners were in attendance for the event, as well as team leader Lauren G.  You can see a few of the pictures here on our Picasa photo album.

NSV Luncheon

“Rethinking Addiction’s Roots and Its Treatment” by Douglas Quendua appeared in the New York Times on July 10^th and continues an interesting discussion on the mechanics of addiction. Quendua writes, “The rethinking of addiction as a medical disease rather than a strictly psychological one began about 15 years ago, when researchers discovered through high-resonance imaging that drug addiction resulted in actual physical changes to the brain.”

There is an age-old debate over alcoholism: is the problem in the sufferer’s head — something that can be overcome through willpower, spirituality or talk therapy, perhaps — or is it a physical disease, one that needs continuing medical treatment in much the same way as, say, diabetes or epilepsy?

Increasingly, the medical establishment is putting its weight behind the physical diagnosis. In the latest evidence, 10 medical institutions have just introduced the first accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, where doctors who have completed medical school and a primary residency will be able to spend a year studying the relationship between addiction and brain chemistry.

“This is a first step toward bringing recognition, respectability and rigor to addiction medicine,” said David Withers, who oversees the new residency program at the Marworth Alcohol and Chemical Dependency Treatment Center in Waverly, Pa.

The goal of the residency programs, which started July 1 with 20 students at the various institutions, is to establish addiction medicine as a standard specialty along the lines of pediatrics, oncology or dermatology. The residents will treat patients with a range of addictions — alcohol, drugs, prescription medicines, nicotine and more — and study the brain chemistry involved, as well as the role of heredity.

To continue reading the article click here.

June was an amazing month for all of the Back on My Feet DC teams, and quite a few of our members have hit impressive milestones.

Clean and Sober Streets

Intern Kristen C. and CSS Member Nick F. at the Father's Day 8k

The men and women at Clean and Sober Streets have been extremely busy this month, with quite a few notable accomplishments. They won the BoMF DC June Jog-A-Thon with 197.6 miles, due in large part to their attendance at the Saturday morning long runs—many members are now ready to kick off their half and full marathon training! Alongside this impressive team accomplishment, there have been quite a few individual achievements. Marque E.’s diligent job searching finally paid off, as he just began a new job with Freshii. Nick F. earned the BoMF DC Chapter Member of the Month Award for June due to his relentless hard work, fine leadership skills, and uncanny ability to make anyone smile, even at 5:45 am. Eric B. has also been putting forth amazing effort, racking up miles, and maintaining over 90% attendance. Keep it up! On June 24^th, the team went to a Motown concert at The Yards Park, where Jimi Smooth performed. Everyone enjoyed watching the band play and listening to the great live music alongside the river.

CSS also welcomed 4 new guys to the team this month: George J., Charles K., D’Angelo P., and Thornell M. We can’t wait to see what they can accomplish!

Emery House

At Emery House, Walter B. and Chris H. continue to put in long hours training for the 20in24 race, a Stroehmann-Back on My Feet Relay Challenge. This is a huge fundraiser for Back on My Feet, and all profits directly benefit the DC chapter. This weekend-long event includes a Lone-Ranger Ultra Marathon, a 24-hour relay race, a Midnight Madness Run, and an early morning Pajama Loop Run. If you would like to support Chris and Walter, and the entire Back on My Feet DC Chapter, we would love to see you at the race! If you are unable to make it to Philly to cheer or participate, the link for donations can be found here.

Chris and Walter have been training with the utmost dedication for this race. Over Memorial Day Weekend, the guys participated in a 10-hour run with volunteer Dave Ferris, and we know that their hard work will pay off weekend in Philadelphia. Good luck!

La Casa – 1-year anniversary!

Happy 1-Year Anniversary, La Casa!

Congratulations to team La Casa, which just reached its 1-year milestone! The team celebrated on Friday, July 3 with a morning run, some commemorative words by alumna and volunteers, and a special breakfast treat. It’s been an amazing, successful year for team La Casa, with quite a few success stories.

Kenny G. moved out and started his own power washing business, and continues to be extremely involved with his church, while still making it out for the morning runs whenever he can. After completing his first half-marathon earlier this year, Watson M. has been taking some time to recover from his foot injury, but he continues to run with complete dedication, and hopes to be able to run another half or full marathon once healed.

June brought three new members to the La Casa team: Dean B., Byron C., and Mychal H. They have been putting forth outstanding effort in the morning runs, and have already made tremendous improvements to their endurance. June was especially good to Dean, as he won the N Street Village Invitational 5k (his first 5k in recent memory!) and got a job with the World Bank in an IT position! Congrats Dean!

The La Casa team members supported N Street Village at their 5k Invitational on Saturday, June 25^th, at Rock Creek Park. The race was a huge success, in large part due to the hard work of volunteer Lauren G.—a huge thank  you for planning such an amazing day for Back on My Feet DC! Dean B., a new La Casa teammate, came in first overall in the race, with an outstanding time of 26:41.

On Sunday June 26^th, La Casa had a social event at Malcolm X Park, with a delicious picnic and great entertainment by an African Drum Circle. The Drum Circle has been meeting every Sunday afternoon in the park for the past 40 years, and proved to be an extremely unique and refreshing experience for BoMF DC.

Another notable accomplishment for La Casa was their 2nd place finish in the June Jog-A-Thon, with 120 miles logged. Great job, La Casa!

N Street Village

Finish Line at the N Street Village Invitational!

N Street Village held it’s first Invitational 5k Race on Saturday, June 25^th. Organized by the amazing and talented volunteer Lauren Gabler, this race was extremely successful, and proved to many of our newer runners just how much than can accomplish.

June brought new member Carol S. to the N Street Village team, and we are very proud that she is thriving at her job as a concierge, and has even been asked to train the other employees. Keep it up, Carol! Shevanda and Sharon are also doing well, as they have both started a day program, and are still coming out to the morning runs whenever possible.

N Street Village came in 3^rd in our June Jog-A-Thon Challenge, having logged nearly 60 miles! Great job N Street!

Blair House

Representing Blair House at the Fathers Day 8k!

At Blair House, Shon K. has reached 50 miles, with over a 95% attendance rate. Having only been with the program since May, this is a huge accomplishment for Shon and we are extremely proud of him. He plans to run the Woodrow Wilson Half Marathon with Back on My Feet in October. Keep it up, Shon! Allen S., who has been with the program since December, has moved out of the facility, and is working on completing a job-training program. He is taking some time away from running to fully heal from a stress fracture, but still supports BoMF whole-heartedly, and is looking forward to the opportunities the future will bring. Volunteer Amanda Ehrbar has returned from a brief hiatus from the team and everyone is thrilled to have her back. Blair House has also set up a Ragnar Relay team, and can’t wait until September to participate.

Blair House Members of the Month:

• John Murray was elected non-res member of the month, for his consistent motivation and enthusiasm. Members note that he is a crucial, influential force on the team, and that it’s nearly impossible to stop running when they run with him. Chris G. calls John his “lucky charm”, and says that John is always motivating others to do their best. Thank you for everything, John!
• Fred M. was elected as res member of the month for Blair House. Although he just started this month, he has already made himself a place on the team. He has maintained 100% attendance rate, and is out there everyday with a huge, contagious smile on his face. Fred has said that running has helped him feel better about himself, and he is excited to begin his job search.  Congrats, Fred!

With a few 5K’s under their belts, the women at NSV decided they could host one of their own races.  Lauren G., team leader for NSV, took the reins for this event and was able to plan and organize this race with five organizations helping to put on the race.  A huge thank you goes out to all of the volunteers involved in putting this event on, notably Sam M. from Church of the Pilgrims and the Cardozo Crawlers, Karina S. from Church of the Pilgrims (Karina also being the team leader for La Casa), Kristyn Carrillo from N Street Village and Georgetown Day School.

The course was a shady and not-too-hilly out and back route along Rock Creek Park, starting just north of P Street and turning around near the National Zoo.  BoMF residential members from both La Casa and N Street Village ran the race, while support from volunteers running and staffing water stops along the way kept them going!  Dean B. came in at first place with a blistering sub-27 minute time.

Warmup Circle at the NSV Invitational 5k

Each runner got to pick their bib number (I wish all races allowed that!) and there were finisher medals that rivaled some premier marathon finisher medals we’ve seen!  With one of the biggest Back on My Feet warm up circles we’ve had in a long time, the teams were lead by Peter W. of La Casa in a series of dynamic stretches that kept everyone running healthy through the day.  We were fortunate enough to avoid any collisions with the four deer that wandered onto the course about 200 yards from the start/finish line.

After the race all of the runners adjourned to the Church of the Pilgrims for brunch.  There was some napping under trees and a lot of hanging out and talking among friends, not to mention food eaten!  Everyone left the event with smiles on their faces talking about how much fun they had at the FIRST NSV Invitational 5K Race, and already talking about the upcoming race next year!

Saturday, June 18^th was a beautiful morning for a great run and a little community service. Back On My Feet DC met up with the DC Trash Runners at 9am in Union Station to clean up their communities’ streets. During the quick 5k, the group ran the length of H Street NE picking up trash while feeding off the positive team energy and sunshine.

BoMF Team Members, Volunteers, & the DC Trash Runners

In attendance was a large showing from teams Clean and Sober Streets, Emery House, and the DC Trash Runners including Thornell M., David C., George J., Shon K., Drew W., Tiffany, Kent, Rob Brown, Chris G., and Donna Childress.

The members and volunteers enjoyed giving back to their community while getting in their morning workout. All in all it was a fantastic start to the weekend.  We are looking forward to the next event with the DC Trash Runners.