Running out of My Comfort Zone…and Making a Difference!

Julie W

So, let me preface this article by saying up front that none of this is my fault. I blame Glen W. After all, it was he who asked me to represent the Flyers at Club Night at JackRabbit Sports as my last duty as Member at Large one cold January evening. It also wasn’t my fault that due to it being a cold January evening, no one was showing up. So what was I supposed to do, but talk to the nice and admittedly good-looking man to my right about an organization called Back on My Feet?

“Ah yes, another running charity”, I thought to myself. “Oh well, might as well find out what they are all about.” The good-looking man (who turned out to be named Wylie) proceeded to explain that BoMF was founded in 2007 by Anne Mahlum, who started out by asking a group of men outside a homeless shelter in Philadelphia whom she passed every day on her morning run to join her on her morning run. What evolved was an organization that now has 9 chapters (including the recently-launched one in NYC), and has literally helped thousands of folks get an education, a job, and a home using running as a motivational tool.

The plan is simple: find homeless shelters in urban areas, get folks to sign up and commit to running at 5:30AM, three days per week, and if they demonstrate 90% attendance over 90 days, provide them with educational opportunities, job placement services, and a stipend which is to be applied to a specific and approved need to help them reach their goals.

The results have been impressive to say the least: according to their website (http://www.backonmyfeet.org/), 75% of “residential” members consistently maintain attendance at morning runs, and 50% successfully move from dependency to an independent lifestyle, all through the motivational power of running. Obviously, getting folks motivated and out the door in the morning requires a team effort, and that’s where the “non-residential” members come in. BoMF aims to have a 1:1 ratio of residential and non-residential members, the latter of which are folks like all of us who simply love to run, and know what a difference it has made in our own lives. As I listened to Wylie talk, I knew this organization was for me. Having recently moved to East Harlem, I have had a desire to help improve my community, and it just so happened that one of the shelters involved in BoMF was The Fortune Society in Harlem!

The Spring Kick-Off Event

And then Wylie blithely mentioned the 24-hour race. “The what?!” I exclaimed, my ultra juices beginning to flow. “Yes, every year in Philadelphia, BoMF has a fund-raising event where folks see how far they can run in 24 hours,” he said like it was no big deal. “Sign me up!” I practically shouted, without thinking. He then informed me that he thought the race was sold out this year. That could have been the end of it, but I went home that night and went on-line to find that lo and behold, there were still slots left for those that wanted to commit to fundraising for the race.

“Damn”, I said to myself, “I HATE asking folks for money.” But it was the only way, so I signed up that night. I also signed up to participate as a non-resident member for The Fortune Society in Harlem. Months passed as I began my training program, not really sure yet what I was getting into, and finally in April came the official launch of BoMF in NYC! It was a perfect morning as we lined up in Central Park at 5:30AM and took off down 7th Avenue to finish in Times Square.


Ready to Run with Team Fortune Society

After the run, I attended the launch breakfast, where I met Anne Malhum and heard her story firsthand. I also heard success stories from some of the former members, which brought tears to my eyes. The very next day, I had my first run with Team Fortune Society, and have run with them every Friday since. It’s hard to put into words what an effect this experience has had on me. The guys on the team are truly inspiring and incredibly kind, and even though I‘ve only run with them a handful of times so far, I feel like we are family already. Their strength and determination to rise above the challenges life has given them make me realize not only how fortunate I am to have what I do, but also that no matter how difficult life seems, to always “keep calm and carry on.” And when I run that 24-hour race in July, it will be for Robert, Gabriel, Hector, Jerry, Mikell, GW, Willie, Rafael, and all the future non-residential members I will have the pleasure of running with in the future. Run long, and carry on, everyone!

Action Shot with Running Friend Robert

Blogmaster's note: For more information about Back on My Feet, including how you can volunteer as a non-residential member, contribute funds, or form a relay team to provide Julie some friends to run with during the 24 hour race, please contact Julie by clicking HERE.  Or, if you want to go directly to Julie's fundraising page, please click HERE.  -Dave K.

- Julie W