Happy Spring all!  As the weather gets warmer, the New Jerusalem team is welcoming more members to our family.  Welcome to Derrik, Charee, and Tony to the team this month!

The team has been busy with races by competing in the Butterfly Run in Malvern, PA and the Walk for Hunger in Philadelphia.  David Bayo was our number one runner by completing both courses in less than 22 minutes!  We also had George and Merald that completed their first race in Malvern and continued to make progress in their second race in Philadelphia.

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Members Gennarro H. and James M. add their names to the Back on My Feet Philadelphia wall

When most people walk into the headquarters of Back on My Feet, in Center City Philadelphia, the wall color is what first gets them.

It’s a light blue-green with dark green accent walls. It’s calming and pleasing and not at all like most offices you’re likely to see.

If you walk passed the executive assistant’s desk, you’ll see our mission and running images, newspaper and magazine clips and other language from our purpose. But then, to the back left, you might find one of those light blue-green is covered in signatures and messages and drawings and sayings.

It’s become a part of our history.

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New Jerusalem was excited to welcome three new team members in March. George, Nicole, and Mereald are the latest additions to an ever growing New Jerusalem team!

Sunday March 21st was a big day for NJ as many of our runners competed in the Ceasar Rodney 5k and Half Marathon in Wilmington, DE. Congrats to alumni member Kenny Jervey who not only completed his first half marathon, but did so averaging 8 minute miles! Also a big congratulations goes out to David Bayo who came in 12th overall in the 5k and 2nd in his age group, what an impressive performance! Gennarro, Terrance, Kevin, and Robert (Wickado) all competed and had great results as well! Also a special thanks to our non-residential members who ran in the race: Patricia, Katy, Kinshasa, and Maureen.

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The momentum continued in February as New Jerusalem expanded to a record number of members! We’re excited to welcome Residential members Jeffrey “Shobazz” Johnson, Terrance Graham, David “Doug” Taylor, and James McQueen Jr. Additionally we’ve added John Dwyer and the Temple Girls Soccer Team as our latest non-Residential members.

We’d like to congratulate David B. and Katy for being our Residential and non-Residential members of the month! David brings lots of excitement and skill to our group each morning. And we’d like to thank Katy for not only being a dedicated member, but also for convincing her fellow Temple soccer players to join us every Friday! Each Friday half of the soccer team joins New Jerusalem and the other half joins Ridge. Thanks David and Katy for all that you do!

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Under clear skies and cool winds, 60 Back on My Feet members joined arms in an over-sized circle and took a moment to prepare as a group for the Frostbite Five Miler in Ambler, Pa. on Sat. Feb. 20.

Twenty-six residential members, two alumni — Kevin J. from New Jerusalem Now and Kenny H. from Ridge Avenue — and more than 30 non-residential members trekked to Montgomery County outside Philadelphia for the hilly path, most with Back on My Feet gear on their backs and a goal or two on their minds.

With seven of eight Philly teams represented, Back on My Feet was one of the largest groups represented at the race, said Program Coordinator Austin Gee. More than 1,100 runners ran the course around the small town of Ambler, which hosted the race for the 11th year.

In his second race, Eric F. from st. John’s was the first finisher from Back on My Feet, crossing the finish line at about 36 minutes. Not far behind was James “Ozzy” from Outley who finished his first race ever in 37 minutes. He was one of five first-time racers, not including our Vice President of Special Events and Corporate Communications Maureen O’Toole, who also finished her first race ever.

See photos of the race here.

The New Jerusalem team is growing and sustaining our GREAT attendance in the program. We recently welcomed Joe, Pat, James, Zaire, and David to our program this month which will have us a running total of 14 members (our largest committed group yet!). I would like to add congratulations to our current month’s Resident and Non-Resident of the month, Gennarro and Andy. Thanks for your commitment to the team every day!

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Robert Green’s first mile wasn’t easy.

“It was painful,” he says.

Eight months later, Robert, 44, who had joined the Back on My Feet New Jerusalem Now team at 20th and Norris, is so much further along.

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