Back on My Feet can impact people whether they are part of our organization or not. We hope to share testimonials from anyone who has a story to tell about their experience with our organization.

This testimonial comes from Dave W. of Back on My Feet Washington D.C. Team Clean & Sober Streets to his teammates and supporters:

Hey everyone –

Thank you all and I mean every single one of you’s.  I used to like the color orange.  I finally have been able to trade for a pen – it cost me a pack of chocolate cookies, but it’s alright, I’ll trade it for something else when I’m ready to leave.  The little short nub pencils cramps my fingers up. I would like for everyone to know that the cards and the support entirely changed the way that I had intended to view this set-back.  You all have lifted my morale and my spirits.  Because of what you all have shown me I do not now look at this as a reason to be spiteful or revengeful – this is something that happened and I can go on and keep striving to get better.  I feel like a human being, I’m not bitter or depressed and I thank every last one of you for that.

I appreciated the visits.

Thanks,

Dave

Ed J. is a gentle giant.  Well over 6 feet tall and 200+ lbs he can be a quietly imposing individual.  That is until you get to know him.  Kindness and caring for the well being of others is evident in everything that Ed says and does.  His patience and understanding for what others are going through has set the tone for the Clean and Sober Streets team and his leadership by example keeps the CSS team together through the cold winter runs. Read more…

December has been a busy month for the team at Clean and Sober Streets.  They had a fantastic turnout for the Inaugural Open Mic Night and Talent Show, the not-so-warm Jingle All The Way 10K race on December 12^th and the BOMF Hawaiian Holiday Luau Dinner on December 15^th.  At the Open Mic Night David W. and team captain Ed J. represented the team with a rendition of Under the Boardwalk by The Drifters to start off the evening.  Like all families during the holiday dinner there was a spirited round of foosball games with non-residential member Shannyn S.’s much hyped foosball skills on display.  Worthy of mention from the holiday dinner is the award that Lewis S. earned for having the highest mileage of any member in Back on My Feet Washington DC, with 370 miles (at that time).  Marianne N., the coach for Clean and Sober Streets has worked tirelessly to keep the team running healthy and motivated on the long runs she plans, and runs, with them.  Several members of CSS are planning on running the National Marathon and Half Marathon coming up in March of next year.

The three newest members of the team, Marque E., George S., and Terrence W. have all jumped in with both feet.  They, along with James W. who joined the team in November, all helped volunteer for various duties at the Jingle All the Way 10K race and are looking forward to our January race.

In a somewhat unorthodox, but well deserved, nomination, team captain Ed J. nominated the four newest members of Clean and Sober Streets to be all be the residential Members of the Month.  Attendance for all of newest members is at, or very close to, 100% and when the weather is 20 degrees outside their desire to run and ability to endure the cold with their newfound friends and family within BOMF is a testament to their commitment to the program.  Never having been to a race before, all four men gladly volunteered to help out BOMF at the Jingle All the Way 10K, not entirely knowing what to expect but willing to lend a helping hand nonetheless.

Non-residential Member of the Month goes to Amy D., who has been consistently running throughout the cold weather season.  Her dedication to come out and run with the team when beds are warm and cozy at 5:45am is a shining example of her willingness to encourage her friends in BOMF to take that next step on the road to recovery, and race shape.

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…

Born In 1964, Kenny was the youngest of six children growing up.  His father served in the military, but his parents separated when he was only two years old.  His mother battled with alcoholism while he was growing up, leaving his father to raise him until he was 10 years old.  Kenny’s oldest brother is 21 years older, and while serving in the military he took over the responsibility of caring for him for several years.  His early teenage years involved a lot of instability, moving around between various relatives’ houses in the Maryland and Washington, DC area.  Both of his parents were in his life as much as they could be, but the difficulties they faced in life kept them from being able to give the guidance to Kenny that he needed while growing up.  Kenny lived in Ramstein, Germany with his brother for a couple of years in high school, and around the time he returned to Washington, DC is when he fell off track.  The 1980s in Washington, DC was not a good time for a lot of teenagers.  Cheap drugs and violent crime created a culture that valued the temporary thrills and short term gain that were to be the undoing of so many during this time.  Towards the end of high school Kenny became disinterested in school and was caught up in the fast money/fast cars/party lifestyle that was all too prevalent in the city at that time.  Emboldened by the adolescent belief that he could handle that kind of life, Kenny quickly found himself lost in the world. 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!

CSS Member of the Month Norm E.

October was an easy month for the team over at Clean & Sober Streets.

It started off on the right foot with the Accenture Day of Service, in which Accenture volunteers came to run with the group and followed the run with a Skills to Succeed session on interview tips and resume writing. CSS was able to participate in a yoga class as part of their training and are looking forward to strength training coming up. The team also participated in the Pacers Fun Run with Ryan Hall, where they got to run with and get autographs from Olympian Ryan Hall and his wife, elite runner Sara Hall.  Members of the team also helped out with the Marine Corps Marathon cheering section – we had a blast!

RES MEMBER OF THE MONTH: Norm E.

Since he started the program, Norm has been consistently dedicated to not only the morning runs, but also Saturday runs and any extracurricular activities BOMF does.  He recently started computer classes at Byte Back and is looking forward to the National Half Marathon in March!  Way to go, Norm!

NON-RES MEMBER OF THE MONTH: SHANNYN S.

Like Norm, Shannyn has been extremely dedicated to the program since she began not too long ago.  She’s always there with a smile on her face and a positive attitude.  Shannyn recently ran the Chicago Marathon and is looking to train for her next race. Congratulations, Shannyn!

The Clean and Sober Streets gang got a lot accomplished in September!

Lewis S. and Eugene S. enrolled in computer training courses at Byte Back and 6 members of the CSS team finished their first half marathon!

On September 19th, Lewis, Eugene, D’Angelo, Dedric, Dave & Jack crossed the finish line at the Woodrow Wilson Half after 13.1 miles of hard work and determination.  For weeks they had been putting lots of time and effort in on long Saturday runs and it was quite a success to have each one finish strong!

Read more…

D.C. member Ed Jenkins being inteviewed by NBC 4 reporter Craig Melvin

For two days, local NBC 4′s Craig Melvin spent some time with the Washington D.C. chapter, profiling a few of our members for a news story about the innovative approach Back on My Feet has taken to combat homelessness.

What he got was an incredibly compelling story about some of our members who have not only made a commitment to running, but also one to get back on their feet and move their lives forward through the Next Steps phase of the program.

Read more…

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…