We welcomed 3 new rez members this month:  Stefan B., Tim B. and Bill Y.!  These are the first new rez teammates to join the team since the beginning of May.

On Saturday July 9^th, THUMB too part in BoMF Baltimore scavenger hunt.  It was a closely contested battle to the end and THUMB took 3^rd place!  The following day some of our teammates took part in the Sweet Air Trail Race up in Baltimore County.  This is a tough 7 – 8 mile trail run that is not for the faint of heart!

Some of our teammates also participated in the Back on My Feet Stroehman 20 in 24 in Philadelphia on July 16^th.  Mike H. ran two 8.4 mile loops and was really strong out there in the heat.  He ran the loops in 1:02:33 and 1:04:01, respectively!  Steady as can be!

There were several more great milestones achieved this month.  Stefan B. got his 5 mile wristband also hit 10 miles with the team.  Tim B. had a big first month receiving his 5 mile wristband, 10 mile hat and medal for running 5 consecutive miles!  Bill got his 5 mile wristband with the team. Mike B. hit 250 miles with the team!  Eric B. and Dave H. received their 50 mile medals this month!

Training for the Baltimore Running Festival has begun!  We have teammates running the various distances.  Some will be competing in the first marathon, while others will be running the half marathon.  We will also have teammates running the 4 person relay and the 5k.  October 15^th is sure to be a special day for our team and the next few months will hold the hard work that will get us there!

Team THUMB, July 2011

RESIDENTIAL MEMBER OF THE MONTH: DAVE H.

July 2011 Member of the Month, Dave H.

Shoe size: 12

Member since: May 2011

Miles accumulated: 60.5

Best BOMF moment: Every day running with the team.  They make me feel like I am running a marathon each time I am out there!

Biggest challenge with running: My age and the fact that my brain says one thing and my body can only do so much.  Pacing myself is a challenge.

Goal in the next three months: I am going to run my first half marathon!  I also want to get my license.

What do you think about when you’re running?:  Music.  I have upbeat songs running through my head.  I used to run with music, but I don’t now with the team.

What’s the next race you’re doing with the BoMF crew?: Du the 2 Duathlon

“I can see that Dave is working very hard, not only on his running, but on many aspects of his life.  He is very happy being a part of the team and I am excited to see how positive the team has been for him.  He has his sights set on running his first half marathon and with his hard work and dedication he is sure to do great!  I am thrilled Dave is part of our team and always look forward to seeing him at our morning runs.”   Rob Carfagno, team leader

NON-RESIDENTIAL MEMBER OF THE MONTH: GREG EPPLEY

July Member of the Month Dave E. (with Meredith)

Shoe size: 13

Member since: March 2011

Best BoMF moment: Looking back one of my most memorable moments was the Baltimore 10 Miler and the Friday pasta party.  The Friday pasta party was my first opportunity to see the team dressed up and I enjoyed the chance to sit, talk, and EAT!!!  Then on Saturday morning being in the biggest circle ever was so motivating, i was so proud to be part of BoMF.

What do you think about when you’re running?: I usually try to focus on my surroundings and chat with the people i’m with.  I enjoy running in the city because there is so much to stare at.

What’s your next race with the BoMF crew?:  My next race with the BoMF crew is the Baltimore Running Festival where I’ll be doing the 1/2 marathon.  I look forward to training with the team!

“Greg didn’t waste any time jumping in to make a difference on our team.  In the few months since his first run, he had made a big splash with many of the guys.  Greg continually sacrifices his own running to support others on a regular basis and this is the essence of what Back on My Feet is all about.  Greg could choose to run fast and far each morning, but he seeks out his teammates and helps them reach towards their goals, whatever the pace or the distance.  He makes a big difference to many people on our team and I appreciate all that he does!”  Rob Carfagno, team leader

On Saturday, June 4^th several of our team members played volleyball at Rash Field in the Inner Harbor.  There was some good-humored “trash talking” and intense competition, but no hurt feelings at the end of the day.  The general consensus was that this was a great event and we should do it again!

After working hard for several months, Mike B. got his EDP (External Diploma Program). Mike’s not sure of his next step yet, but college looks like an option.  Along with that, the team just found out that Steven W. was working on his GED behind the scenes and just got it!  He would also like to attend college and is working on his future plans.  Congrats, Mike and Steven! Read more…

Our new additions to the team in May were Edward B., Eric B. and Dave H. The guys are enjoying their time with the team and are already starting to increase their mileage. Andrew F. and Moses J. celebrated one year of sobriety and graduated from HUM.

On May 15^th, several of our teammates ran in the Delaware Marathon and Half Marathon, while other teammates were there cheering them on in support.  It was a humid day, but the runners pushed through the tough conditions and gave all they could to put another great race in the books.  Barry B. and Mike H. ran the marathon, while Zac ran the half marathon.

As the team grows, so does the list of accomplishments!  Dave H., Eric B. and Edward B. all reached 5 and 10 miles with the team.   Tom C. and Jimmy M. received their 50 mile medals.  Stephen L., Brian L. and Eric L. hit 25 miles with the team.  Nicko R. hit a big milestone of running 100 miles with BoMF!

On May 22^nd, the Sports Legends Museum was opened up by our teammate Greg Schwalenberg for BoMF team members to get a tour and a behind the scenes look at the museum.  It was a fun excursion and a privilege to be able to see how memorabilia is processed and preserved.

team THUMB

RESIDENTIAL MEMBER OF THE MONTH: MOSES J.

Moses J., Member of the Month

Shoe size: 8

Member since: December 2010

Miles accumulated: 126.5

Best BoMF moment: Finishing my first race.

Biggest challenge with running: Finishing the things that I start and being able to run as much as I can.

Goal in the next three months: Run, stay clean, and work with the program.

What do you think about when you’re running?: How good and healthy this feels.

What’s the next race you’re doing with the BoMF crew?: MCVET 5k

“Moses is not a man of many words, so when he speaks, people listen.  He doesn’t want to be the center of attention, Moses just wants to go out, run and feel good.  I sense that Moses is grateful for his sobriety and all of the things he has now in life; he doesn’t spend time dwelling on the negative any more.  And he definitely seems comfortable when running. He runs so effortlessly and people are usually surprised by just how fast he is!”   Rob Carfagno, team leader

NON-RESIDENTIAL MEMBER OF THE MONTH: AMIE BETTENCOURT

Amie B., Member of the Month

Member since: September 2010

Best BoMF moment: It’s hard to pick just one moment..Before Back on My Feet, I never would have considered running a half marathon, but some of the best moments with the team have included all the support I received during those long Saturday training runs and the awesome support and encouragement I received during the Nikia half, particularly from Emily B. who kept pushing me through all those miles!

What do you think about when you’re running?: When I’m running by myself, I think about and process some of the day-to-day stressors that come up. When I’m running with the team, I usually think about whatever I’m talking about with a teammate, such as strategizing about how to be a better runner with Mike H., and I think about how awesome and inspiring the people are that I get to run with!

What’s your next race with the BoMF crew?: the MCVET 10k

“I enjoy seeing Amie at our morning circle and I admire the way she has become committed to our team.  Amie is a fast runner and she continues to improve her racing times, but there are plenty of days that she chooses to run at a slower pace just to support a teammate.  She understands that BoMF is not about running as fast as you can every run, it’s about helping people through running.  By simply running and talking with someone, she can make a huge difference in their day and life.  It’s been fun for me to watch Amie get more involved with our teammates and I feel lucky that I can call her my friend!”   Rob Carfagno,  team leader

Once again, THUMB welcomed three new residential members to our team!  Stephen L., Eric L., and Jimmy M. joined the team and came out ready to run.  The guys had actually done some training before becoming official members to make sure they were ready to run with the team and they are already increasing their distances!

Donnell M. had a big month as he celebrated one year of sobriety and graduated from HUM.  We are all so proud of Donnell and excited to celebrate his accomplishments with him. On April 3^rd, HUM held its annual graduation ceremony at Martin’s West.  THUMB had four of its teammates walk across the stage to receive their diploma:  Donnell M., Mike H., Moses J., and Andrew F.  Several of our teammates were present and it was a great celebration for all of the guys’ hard work.  Read more…

Three classes have now been inducted.  If the evening could be summarized in one word, it would have to be foundation.  Each successive induction has drawn a larger crowd, indicative of an essential key to success – something to stand on.  The BoMF community creates this for each other and this growing alumni network continues to create a standard for success by which to support and challenge each other.  Last night was a living testament to the fact that this foundation is cumulative and continues to aggregate.

Representatives from all three classes were in attendance yesterday evening. Of 21 active alumni, 15 were present.  Old teammates were there to support new ones.  Founding teammates were there to pass on the BoMF legacy.  Teams were there to support other teams.  By the end of the evening, we had woven a new fabric interlaced with 10 new members, further bolstering the BoMF Baltimore foundation.  Both Mitchell Stallworth (BSTAT) and Darius Tabrizi (ARW) were both among the first alumni inducted from their respective teams.  CP had the largest contingent including Michael Fewster, Ricky Penn, Leon Pumphrey, Leonard Thomas and Donnell Williams, many of whom were working and could not be in attendance.  Arnold Shipman, the longest standing res member of BoMF was joined by absentee MCVET teammate Jeff Whitaker and Mike Hoffman from THUMB rounded out the honorees.

Congratulations to the new Alumni, many thanks to Rob Carfagno, Emily Bendann, Erin Dorrien, Dan Miranda, Brian Carlson, Christina Gallo and Sarah O’Connor who have stepped up to support their teammates as boosters, and kudos to Jennifer Manning, Todd Gaddy, Dan Miranda, Sue Demirkaya and Diane Amin who presented their teammates and touched the room with team remarks.  Thank you also to Charlie Tiller, Carlos Bailey, Barry Burnett, Darryl Mitchell (keynote speaker!), Michael Purdum, Jesse Rengesamy, Joshua Wingo, Wayne Turner and Terrell Stokes, all former alumni who came back to christen the new alumni and a heartfelt thanks to our Member Services Manager Nikia Williams for the graceful way she makes the alumni program possible.  Congratulations Class #3!

THUMB welcomed three new residential members to our team again!  Tony M., Brian L. and Tom C. were added to an already large and strong team.

This was another month of milestones.  Donnell M. reached a big milestone when he hit 250 miles with the team.  Reggie H and Michael B. reached 100 miles.  Brian L. reached 5 miles while Tony M. and Tom C. reached 10 miles in their first month on the team.  Domonic received his medal for running 5 consecutive miles and he reached 10 and 25 miles.  Chris C. reached 175 miles.   Steven W. reached 10 and 25 miles.  Michael W. reached 10 miles with the team.

We are very excited that another one of our teammates, Mike P., celebrated two years of sobriety this month!  Mike continues to stay in touch with the team and it always great when we get to see him!

The team participated in two races this month, the Kelly St. Patrick’s Day 5k and the Nikia Nippy Nor’easter Half Marathon & Relay.  On Sunday, March 13, 2011,  THUMB had ten res members run the Kelly St. Patrick’s Day 5k.  It was a fast race and there were a few PR’s set by the guys!  Jamie W. ran his first race in 23:49.  Reggie H. ran 29:16, Andrew F. ran 29:12, Barry B. ran 27:10, Chris C. ran 24:22, Mike B. ran 23:09, Donnell M. ran 24:24, John L. ran 24:10, Moses J. ran 23:49 and Mike H. ran 20:06.  There were also several non-res runners and supporters in the crowd.  The weather was beautiful and it was a great day!  On Saturday, March 19, 2011,  the team participated in the 2^nd annual Nikia Nippy Nor’easter Half Marathon and Relay.  The field had doubled to 200 runners and it was a fun event for all runners and supporters who were there to cheer on their friends, families and teammates!  The weather was great and the runners looked strong.  Donnell M. ran his first half marathon in 2:04:45, Zach R. ran 3:07:05 , Chris C. ran 2:17:43, Barry B. ran 2:02:58.  Teammates who ran the relay included Steven W., Domonic R., Michael B., and Michael W.

On Wednesday, March 16, 2011 Back on My Feet Baltimore celebrated it’s second birthday!  The morning was quite a celebration with over 100 of our teammates gathering at MCVET for opening circle. We ran a 2 mile route over to the MAC in Harbor East and finished with cupcakes and cookies.  On Friday, March 18, 2011, BoMF Baltimore continued it’s birthday celebration with a party at Christopher’s Place that night.  There were lots of goodies and teammates had the chance to make their own BoMF shirt!  It was a fun night for everyone.  Also to help celebrate our second birthday, many of our teammates took advantage of free workouts at the MAC all week long.

So now that the Nikia Nippy Nor’easter Half Marathon and Relay is behind us, the focus turns to the Delaware Marathon.  There are less than two months until the big race and training is going well for all of our teammates who are participating.

THUMB team picture at the Kelly 5k

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THUMB welcomed three new residential members to our team:  Domonic R., Michael W. and Steven W.  These guys came out with plenty of enthusiasm and are a great addition to our already strong team.  This month saw some pretty cool milestones.  Mike H. reached 500 miles and is training to run his 2^nd marathon in May!  Domonic R. and Steven W. already reached 5 miles in their first month with the team.  Michael B. reached 50 miles and Reggie H. had a big month and received his medal for running 5 consecutive miles and he reached 10, 25 miles, and 50 miles.  Moses had a great month reaching 25 miles and 50 miles with the team.  Jaime W. also had a big month as he received his medal for running 5 consecutive miles and 25 and 50 miles.  Donnell M. reached his milestone of 175 miles with the team and John L. reached 100 miles with the team as he prepares to run another marathon in May! Read more…

THUMB continued our exciting growth in January as we added three more residential members to our dedicated team: Eric B., Jaime W., and Reggie H.  All three guys came out ready to run and have fit right in with the team.  Eric and Reggie achieved their 5 mile incentives, while Jaime achieved his 5 and 10 mile incentives. Other incentives for January include:  Michael B. received his awards for running 5 miles straight (he actually ran 8 miles!) and 25 total miles, Willie G. reached 10 and 25 miles and Chris C. and Zach R reached 100 miles with the team!  Congrats to our res runners for reaching these milestones!!

The team started the year by running the New Year’s Resolution Run 5K at Patterson Park on January 1^st where Barry B. ran 28:53, Chris C. ran 23:38 (PR), Donnell M. ran 25:57 (PR), and Mike H. ran 21:03.  We also enjoyed running the Frozen Finger 5 miler on January 8^th (which actually turned out to be 5.4 miles) where Barry B. ran 52:49, Chris C. ran 44:53 and John L. ran 44:59!  And, even though he was injured and unable to run, thanks to Andrew F. for coming out to support his teammates!

We are very excited that two of our team members, Mike H. and Zach R., celebrated 1 year of sobriety this month.  Their hard work and focus inspires us all.  Also, congratulations to Mike H. who graduated from HUM in January!

There was a surprise lunch held for Barry B. to celebrate his 2 year sobriety on January 9^th.  This event was attended by about two dozen team members to honor Barry.  He is such an inspiration to us all.  On January 17^th, about 20 THUMB team members, family, and friends served dinner at the Helping Up Mission.  It was a great evening of camaraderie and friendship as team members had a chance to show off their giving spirit.  Several team members got to take part in Monte Sanders’ (personal trainer who works out with some of the Baltimore Ravens) boot camp on January 24^th.   They were put through a tough workout including running sprints, ladder drills, ab work and more!

On January 19^th, the second edition of Orientation 2.0 took place at the Helping Up Mission.  Through this discussion, the goal is to further educate our members, partners & constituents on how to approach and cope with the issues of addiction, substance abuse & recovery. It is geared towards providing the support and community that many of our members need in their ongoing battle with addiction.

Training for the Delaware Marathon has begun while training for the 2^nd Annual Back on My Feet Nikia Nippy Nor’easter Half-Marathon and Relay is well underway and we have many team members who will be running one or both of these races.  For some, this will be their first race of this distance and the next few months will be filled with exciting firsts and the chance to look within and find something special…stay tuned!

A snowy January run for team THUMB

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What a busy past two months it has been for BOMF and Team THUMB!  Even the dropping temperatures could not keep THUMB inside!  Last month, we braved the chilly temperatures to run the Tuerk House 5K and Gobble Cobble Turkey Trot.  We also participated in the Second Annual Baltimore BOMF Football Game as well as danced the night away at the Second Annual Baltimore BOMF Bash!

This month we participated in many events as well as celebrated several milestones.  First, THUMB welcomed three new residential members; Michael B., Moses J., and Willie G.  They were ready to run immediately and Willie has already achieved his five mile mark and Mike and Moses have reached their ten mile mark!

We had a great time going to 34^th Street in Hampden and meeting up with some of the other teams to enjoy all the beautiful holiday lights!  We also donned our holiday outfits and prepared our best crock pot dishes for our Holiday Crock-a-palooza.  Mac’s Buffalo Cheese dip was a huge hit!

In addition, we attended the Homeless Persons’ Memorial in the Inner Harbor to remember those who passed away.  We honored the 87 people who died in Baltimore City this year as each of their names were read aloud as well as those whose names were not known.

We had a great time running the Celtic Solstice 5 Miler this month where Barry B. ran 47:15, Andrew F. ran 54:37, Mike H. ran 37:59, John L. ran 44:08, and Zach R. ran 1:05:02.  Even though they were not able to run, a special thank you goes out to Chris C. and Donnell M. for coming out to support us!

Team THUMB at the Celtic Solstice Race

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For November’s team update and Member of the Month, each Baltimore team decided to share their team video, created for the Baltimore Running Festival. These videos were filmed over the summer and during the training for the Running Festival.  Helping Up’s team video is shared below:

Helping Up – Baltimore BOMF