By Paul Eberle
Back on My Feet is a program that encourages those in homeless shelters to enjoy the benefits of running. Although I had volunteered to help with a major upcoming event, the 20in24 run (more on that later), I didn’t quite understand the logic of Back on My Feet. I was fortunate enough to sit down with Cathryn Sanderson, the Director of Communications & Special Events of the Philadelphia chapter, to clear up some of my questions.
What I discovered was that Back on My Feet (BoMF) is an innovative organization that helps the homeless population in ways no one ever imagined.
Me: Back on My Feet now exists in several cities, was Philadelphia the first?
Cathryn: Philadelphia was the founding city in 2007. Anne Mahlum, the founder of BoMF, got the idea while running. She always passed by a homeless shelter and, sure enough, she got some of the guys to join her for a run, which started everything. It was just a simple idea that developed into a more comprehensive program where members are able to receive financial aid for literacy programs through Beneficial Bank, mock interviews through Accenture; we have housing partners and job re-education, different things like that. But still it is mainly about sticking to the basic idea of using running to build discipline, confidence, and self-esteem, and have those seemingly small, yet actually large successes develop into traits that can translate to other areas of your life.
M: So a lot of it is about individual improvement and gaining support?
C: We just welcome you to come out and join the group. We welcome people of all ages, and abilities, and we certainly have a wide range of backgrounds. It’s about community, about helping that one person next to you, who is helping you at the same time.
M: I heard of the program, but it was confusing to me a little bit. When I explained it to people I was like, “Back on My Feet, they encourage homeless people to run,” and the response was, “That doesn’t sound safe!”
C: It’s definitely a hard thing to explain to people. I think it’s because it starts with a simple idea that we’ve never really looked for. When you think of homelessness you think of the needs of a person; they need food and they need shelter, right, but what any person needs is a sense of community; a sense of love, friendship, and success. When you cross that finish line, or hit a certain milestone, it can be an emotional thing. We encourage all our members to run in races to get that sense of accomplishment. We also encourage them to run 500 miles, and we have incentives along the way.
M: You’ve seen the results first hand, then?
C: I remember when I first started and I went into a Wawa. I recognized the person working at the register and thought “where do I know him?” Sure enough, I went onto the computer and he was the Back on My Feet member of the month who just got out of the shelter and got a job. When you see the, no pun intended, the footprints in your community, that’s when it feels like, this is it, we’re really onto something.
M: The 500 mile club, is that like graduating?
C: Well we have an alumni club that is definitely growing. These are people that have moved out of the shelter and gotten jobs. Whatever area of their life, they are creating a more self-sufficient lifestyle. They are using the tools BoMF gave to help them in their daily routine. I always say that if you are late for a run, people are gonna leave without you, if you are late for a job interview, you’re probably not going to get it. Back on My Feet provides the same qualities you need in your daily life.
So my questions had been answered. What was recently a foggy understanding of BoMF is now a clear picture. I am looking forward to the 20in24 event coming up on July 16th, which I have volunteered to be a part of.
This 20in24 event features several different races with cash prizes, (The main event is a team race, 20 laps in 24 hours with a $3,000 prize), all race categories are open to the public. Volunteers are needed; from bikers to check on the runners to people handing out water at the rest stations.
Volunteer by yourself or as a group for some of the more entertaining runs. Saturday night is the Midnight Madness run, where all runners will be adorned with either reflective gear, glow sticks, or glow-in-the-dark paint. Sunday morning is the Pajama Loop Run where participants are encouraged to run in their PJ’s. All the races will take place along beautiful boathouse row. To volunteer or participate in the run go to 20in24.com. For more information on the Back on My Feet program go to Backonmyfeet.org.
