On the palindrome day of 11/11/11 (also Veteran’s Day!), Accenture employees teamed up with Back on My Feet DC for their second annual Day of Service. We had volunteers join for the morning runs, and then provided a breakfast for our Resident members & runners! Following this, Accenture employees presented a professionalism seminar, titled “Skills to Succeed”.  It was definitely a successful morning; we loved having the extra hands on deck!

To wrap things up, Accenture invited us to their annual member meeting. Resident member, Thornell M. from team CSS, spoke to the crowd! His success is inspiring, and his words of wisdom are aplenty! Check out the video (link below) to hear his take on the Back on My Feet effect.

BoMF at Accenture Day of Service, Thornell Speech

“I went online, and I googled Endorphins….it came up, “running high”. It really works!…When I show up in school {now}, I’m able to grasp what’s being taught to me – I blame that on running.

I’ve always wanted to be healthy, and go to school. Now, I’m doing both of those things.”

Thank You to Accenture, from the BoMF DC members and volunteers! Your support helps to keep us going! We hope you enjoyed this Day of Service as much as we did.

Back on My Feet, DC teamed up with La Casa, Deloitte and the Positive Coaching Alliance to host a Deloitte Impact Day on Friday, June 10. The day started on the right foot with BoMF team La Casa welcoming Deloitte team members to the circle and on a run. After breakfast sponsored by Deloitte, residents of La Casa joined Impact Day participants for a motivational coaching session hosted by Positive Coaching Alliance. Employees also facilitated a computer training session to help residents with resume building and writing skills. Deloitte and BoMF team members who wanted to get their hands dirty spent the remainder of the day sprucing up La Casa’s landscaping and fixing up the facility interior with fresh coats of paint and general labors of love.

Roger Jasek, the Deloitte Partner in Charge said about the day, “While Impact Day is primarily a day of service, it is also a day designed to meet new people, have a good time around a worthy cause and to positively impact the lives of others that may not be as fortunate.  Reflecting back on Friday, I can say that all of these items were accomplished!”

NOVA Pain and Rehab

In April, five BoMF members worked with Dr. Amy Grabowski of NOVA Pain and Rehab in the Sport and Health Club of Ballston on physical therapy, chiropractic work, and injury prevention.

Several participants were introduced to a treatment called E-STIM, an electrical stimulation that uses electrical current to cause a muscle or group of muscles to contract, increasing muscle strength and promoting blood flow to the injured area. As always, members were encouraged to stretch more, and to RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).

Nick, Cardell, Marque, and Darius of Clean and Sober Streets, along with Watson of La Casa, all participated. Nick is recovering from a minor hernia surgery last week, but is already out and about, and is excited about running in the upcoming 8K in May.

BoMF DC is turning one! It’s hard to believe how much we’ve accomplished in such a short time. Join us in the celebration by participating in our exciting events surrounding our 1st Birthday:

On Monday, March 21, we are inviting all members, partners, and friends to a celebratory group morning run. Be there as all of our teams and members of our partner organizations come together at the Capitol Building at 5:45 AM wearing their best BoMF gear, to do what we do best- run! It is the perfect way to kick-off our week of celebration.  More details on the run can be found HERE.

On Thursday, March 24, join members, volunteers and supporters at the Inaugural BoMF DC Blue & Green Birthday Bash presented by the JW Marriott from 6:30 to 10:30 pm. The evening will consist of dinner, a program including BoMF Founder and President, Anne Mahlum, dancing, and a silent auction. Dress in cocktail attire with your best blue or green accessory- BoMF DC’s official colors. Thank you to our wonderful sponsors, including Bisnow and the JW Marriott, for helping make the Birthday Bash possible- to check out all of our sponsor’s websites, click HERE. If you haven’t yet gotten your tickets, they are available for purchase HERE.

Cannot attend? You can still make a difference! Sponsor a member HERE

Be sure to support all of our members running in the SunTrust National Marathon and Half Marathon on Saturday, March 26, as a volunteer! We will need volunteers to serve as start line/corral marshals, arriving no later than 6:00 am. Since BoMF is the official charity sponsor of the race, this is a great opportunity to show your support for all our member’s hard work and dedication in training for this race. To sign up to volunteer and for more information, click HERE.

Back on My Feet DC is excited to announce a recent partnership with City Year and Au Bon Pain!  City Year is a service learning program through which young leaders donate a year of service to a specific organization.  Through tutoring and mentoring, corps members help children stay in school and on track, and transform schools and communities across the United States.

BOMF DC has worked with City Year in the past on specific service day events, but have recently rolled out the Au Bon Pain initiative.  Through this partnership, City Year volunteers coordinate pick-up and drop-off of Au Bon Pain breakfast item donations to the shelter facilities BOMF partners with.  The initiative kicked off Monday with Emery House and will continue each week with donations to 3 of the BOMF DC teams.  Thanks so much to City Year!

Back on My Feet Washington, DC, and particularly the members of the Clean and Sober Streets team, would like to give a huge Thank You! to NOVA Pain and Rehab.  Michael Moses (DC) and Hooman Hamidi have been very gracious to offer their time and services to help the BOMF runners deal with the (sadly inevitable) aches and pains that come along with being a dedicated runner.   All runners suffer from injuries and setbacks in their training and with the right help from the good people over at NOVA Pain and Rehab our members will be able to recover quickly.  Armed with the knowledge of how to stretch and strengthen themselves properly they will hopefully be able to avoid further injury in the future.

NOVA Pain and Rehab offers the most advanced and innovative treatment combining both traditional and alternative healthcare in a caring, ethical and professional environment.  They have multiple locations throughout the DC Metro area.

Marque E. was selected as the Clean and Sober Streets residential member of the month and Jean B was selected as the non-residential member of the month.  Marque was also selected to replace the ever supportive Ed J. as the team captain for CSS.  With 15 residential members now on the CSS team, the family there is huge!  Marque joined the team in December, but already his energy and encouraging attitude has impressed his fellow teammates.

For the January ‘race,’ CSS came in first place during the first annual Washington, DC SnOlympics event!  The event was held on the National Mall, with mother nature cooperating with a very healthy amount of snow (which led to an entirely unexpected impromptu snowball fight).  Overall team attendance is phenomenal, with over 90% of the members on the team at CSS maintaining a 90% attendance or better, and almost half of those with perfect attendance!

The good folks over at NOVA Pain and Rehab took time out of their schedule to examine a couple members of the CSS team.  A few strained calves and sore knees to go around, but nothing that will stop the members from running!

Back on My Feet Washington, DC would like to give a big Thank You to Sport and Spine Rehab , located in Landover, MD.   Allen Huffman, DC,  and Volette Richardson, Community Relations Representative, both took the time to open their doors and welcome our members dealing with some lingering running pains.  All athletes suffer from injuries and setbacks in their training, and with the right help from the folks over at Sport and Spine Rehab our members will be able to recover quickly and know how to stretch and strengthen themselves to avoid further injury in the future.

We had members from Clean and Sober Streets as well as La Casa out for this physical therapy session and they couldn’t stop saying just how thrilled they were that they received this level of attention and assistance from SSR.  Volette even had a delicious lunch spread set out for the guys, and while pizza might not necessarily be on their training diet, a little comfort food is ok when you’re at the doctor’s office.

Back on My Feet Chicago is thrilled to announce its partnership with Shayna T. Williams, an associate at Klein, Daday, Aretos & O’Donoghue. With more than five years of experience, Shayna will work with BOMF Chicago members to resolve legal issues that could prohibit their ability to secure employment and/or housing.

“When I learned Back on My Feet Chicago’s members face some of the same challenges as my clients, I immediately wanted to get involved.  In some cases, what might appear to be a big issue may actually be small and easily resolved with the assistance of an attorney,” said Shayna. “I am very excited about  this opportunity to combine my knowledge of the law with my passion for running.  Additionally, I think attorneys owe it to the community to provide assistance in whatever way possible, so for me, this just made sense.”

As a result of Shayna’s partnership with the chapter, all members will receive a document outlining legal issues that create barriers to landing a job or securing a residence when entering the BOMF Chicago program. Shayna will also meet one-on-one with members to discuss individual legal problems and help members work toward resolutions.

“Back on My Feet Chicago feels incredibly fortunate to offer Shayna as a resource to our members,” said Kristina Olkowski, executive director of Back on My Feet Chicago. “We strive to help remove every obstacle that stands in a member’s way of self-sufficiency, and bringing Shayna and her legal experience on board is yet another way we’re demonstrating this commitment.”

Shayna began her legal career at Indiana Legal Services and has been practicing law for five years. She is a runner who completed the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, 2009 New York City Marathon, 2010 Marine Corp’s Marathon and numerous half marathons.

BOMF Baltimore was excited to name the Marriott as it’s 2010 Company of the Year at the 2010 BOMF Bash on November 18th. The Bash, which was hosted at the Marriott Inner Harbor, was the perfect time to recognize how wonderful the Marriott community in Baltimore has been to BOMF Baltimore. From hosting the Bash, to hosting a non-res appreciation breakfast, holding various Sneaker Days for BOMF to getting employees involved with BOMF by running races to raise funds for BOMF, to most importantly, hiring BOMF members to help them move forward in their lives – the Marriot has been an outstanding partner. “The Marriott group in Baltimore has really gone above and beyond for this chapter this year and we cannot show our gratitude enough,” said Baltimore’s Executive Director, Sera Snyder. “They have really taken company involvement with BOMF in the Baltimore community to a new level. We’re excited to do even more with the group in 2011!”

BOMF Board Member and Marriott Inner Harbor General Manager, Onahlea Shimunek accepted the award on behalf of the Marriott. “It is such an honor to have Marriott selected “Company of the Year” for the Baltimore Chapter. The support comes directly from our senior leaders, and has cascaded to the various markets where BOMF has membership. We have opportunity to assist at the Board level, but most importantly, we are challenged with leveraging our resources in employment opportunities for the membership, and to lend a hand in fund raising and other support” said Onahlea.

Congrats to the BOMF Baltimore Marriott!