Blair House has been busy for the month of February. Wilford S. and Bobby T. both ran in their first race, the Love the Run You’re With 5K hosted by Pacers Events. Omar H. and Kevin C. both joined the new Blair House racers in taking on the course. Allen S. has unfortunately been sidelined due to a shin injury, but he was there to cheer on his teammates! Amanda E., originally of 801 East fame, hosted a post race brunch for both Blair house and 801 East at her apartment after the race! Both Stephanie V. and Anastasia C. have teamed up with Ragnar Relay Race by joining the Ragnar Brigade to spread the word about this amazing race series who have partnered with Back on My Feet Washington DC to make us their official charity sponsor.
Omar H. just got a job working with Washington Gas Energy Services, as well as attending the Skills to Succeed seminar hosted by our Next Steps partner Accenture.
For the month of February Wilford S. was selected as the Blair House member of the month, and David M., team organizer, was selected as the non-residential member of the month. Both members have provided consistent effort and drive to help the team stay strong through the month! Both members are quite happy to see the cold weather breaking and the temps rising quickly for their morning runs!
“If you want something different you have to do something different.”
These were the first words Ellis A. (pictured above in red shorts) said when he sat down to discuss his story. His story is not that of a perfect man, nor that of someone who has never made a mistake in their life. Ellis’ story, much like that of most members who find their way to Back on My Feet is a story of redemption, a story of second chances and one person’s attempt to make a better life for themselves through hard work and a lot of running.
Ellis grew up in South Hill, Virginia, a rural part of the state where calling it a ‘small town’ would be a bit of an exaggeration. Ellis’ father was a carpenter and a tobacco farmer, and his mother was a social worker, and anyone who knows Ellis can see the influence that his parents have had on his life. “We were poor, but we didn’t know it.” Ellis was a self described “hyper” child, that hasn’t exactly worn off as he’s aged, and that served him well growing up on a farm where there was always plenty of work to be done. He developed a strong work ethic very early on, and with an outgoing personality to match he always did well in school, particularly with playing the sousaphone in the band. However, he stopped going to high school in the 11th grade and growing up in a rural area did not keep him out of trouble. As the son of a poor farmer, Ellis turned to running moonshine and growing marijuana as ways to earn extra income. At the time Ellis didn’t see anything wrong with that, it was a different time and place then, and what he and others were doing wasn’t viewed with any sense of social stigma. Being socially acceptable does not mean something has a positive impact in one’s life, and Ellis now sees how these things created a great deal of hurt and suffering throughout his life. Read more…
Everyone knows that BOMF members are talented – however, on December 9th BOMF DC blew everyone out of the water at the Inaugural Open Mic Night & Talent Show! Volunteers, members, staff and supporters gathered together at Ebenezers Coffeehouse on Capitol Hill and took immediately to the stage! Team leaders served as judges and the competition was definitely stiff. Read more…
All 6 Back on My Feet DC teams had a chance to come together and celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday as a family. Each team was paired with another to host dinner and share a meal with other BOMF they might not otherwise get to know as well.
First up was Clean & Sober Streets and N Street Village. They held their meal at the Back on My Feet offices and, although space was limited, food was not! With both teams present, it made for a big group – and everyone had a great time.
Next came 801 East and Blair House’s Thanksgiving Dinner. Both teams were hosted by an 801 non-res and the event was well attended. Throughout the day, the teams played cornhole, pool, football and of course cheered the Redskins on to victory! And of course there was no shortage of food – especially Anastasia’s famous BOMF cookies! Non-res John M. did an excellent job carving the turkey and Todd M.’s ribs were a hit!
Finally, La Casa hosted Emery House at their facility and everyone got their fill of food! With Kathy M. doing the party planning, there’s never any shortage of food or festivities. Both La Casa and Emery House members enjoyed the time with their BOMF families and getting to know one another a little better!
All the turkey consumed will be put to good use, as BOMF DC will run the So Others Might Eat Turkey Trot 5K on Thanksgiving morning. Best of luck to everyone running! You can view pictures of all the dinners here!
Last Saturday, 12 members of BOMF DC gathered to give back to the local community at Bread for the City. BFC is an organization that provides vulnerable residents of Washington, DC, with comprehensive services, including food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services, in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.
Half of the group helped to create Turkey dinners that would be sent out to needy families and individuals in the area. An assembly line was formed and all the trimmings were represented, including turkey, stuffing, corn, green beans, and of course cranberries!
The other half spent their morning sorting clothes in the center’s clothing room. We definitely made some headway organizing the room, so that people and families could come find warm weather gear to survive the winter. Eric B. and Luke H. even found next year’s Halloween costumes!
A huge thanks to Bread for the City for allowing us to participate in their Holiday Helpings this year…and a shout out to teams 801 East, Emery House, Blair House & La Casa for representing at the event!
View the photos here.
On Sept. 19th, 2010 there were a number of firsts to happen: it was the first year for the Woodrow Wilson Bride Half Marathon, it was the first race over an 8K that Back on My Feet D.C. participated in, and, for 14 of our members, it was their first half marathon!
Amidst a crowd of 4,000, BOMF residential and non-res members kicked asphalt the entire 13.1 miles.
There were 14 resident members and 20 non-residents from Emery House, Blair House, Clean and Sober Streets and 801 East teams running the race. We additionally had more than 20 BOMF-ers volunteering or cheerleading throughout the course.
Read more…
A big thank you goes out to Dr. Michael Moses and Dr. Hooman Hamidi and all the wonderful staff at NOVA Pain and Rehab, a medical, chiropractic, and physical therapy office in Arlington, VA.
As with all runners picking back up after a few years off, we’ve had a few bumps and bruises along the way. Like with all dedicated runners, no pain no gain, but when the aches and pains became a little too much, the staff at NOVA Pain and Rehab came to our rescue!
They took the time out of their busy schedules to take a look at six of our residential runners, from 801 East, La Casa and Clean and Sober Streets, to help mend their ailments and recurring pains.
Read more…
801 East was our gracious host for a spirited evening of 3v3 basketball the last Saturday in July. It is certainly an event that we would like to have there again.
The team at 801 East has been going through a lot of changes lately, with several members moving on to other facilities or out to housing on their own! Some of 801’s most enthusiastic members make the trek from other parts of the city to still run with their team! Truly a testament to the support and encouragement that our members receive at the morning runs.
Read more…
Who needs to wait until March to see some good basketball — let’s have July Madness! We run, we shoot hoops, we do it all!
On Saturday, July 31, some of the res members of Clean and Sober Streets made their way down to 801 East for a few hours of basketball. Thanks so much to Mark E., one of our great non-res volunteers over at 801 East, and Anne for organizing a fantastic evening of fun, and competitive, 3-on-3 basketball.
Play was tough, and push-ups were occasionally done by the losing team, but new friendships were made on the courts that night. As it seems to becoming a tradition at BOMF-DC social events, cornhole was also being played to everyone’s enjoyment. Although be careful playing Mike S., he has a future playing professionally!
The cool weather Saturday evening was a nice change from a week ago, and made for a good evening all around. Even those who came out to just talk and laugh with their teammates had a great evening too! Some of the non-BOMF residents of 801 East came out to join in the fun.
You can see pictures here!
June was a big month for the 801 East team! Not only did 5 members run their 2nd 8K, but 801 welcomed 2 new members to their team! Kenneth P. started work this month – his first job EVER – and Ellis A., Eric F. & Tyrone D. moved into independent living situations.
The team is still going strong, looking forward to the race at the end of the month – the Crystal City Twilighter 5K – and many are starting to train for the Woodrow Wilson Half Marathon in September.
Read below for DC 801 East June members of the month.
Read more…
