Last February, as I was waiting for the Frostbite 5 miler in Ambler, PA to start, a van pulled up in front of me that unloaded a bunch of runners. I noticed that these runners were a bit 'different' from your typical suburban runners. I don't mean different in a bad way and I don't mean different in skin color. But, I could tell these runners 'weren't from around here' either. And, during a race, it doesn't matter who is different from whom but, ultimately, who is faster. This was my first encounter of the 'Back on My Feet' program.
'Back on My Feet' is a local running program, started by Anne Mahlum, which helps the homeless. But, it's not a program that hands out money, food, or shelter. Instead, it gives the homeless something which is not so tangible yet almost equally important--pride and dignity.
In my opinion, everyone of us could possibly find ourselves in a similar position. The difference may not be just the fortitude of overcoming obstacles that have been thrown our way but also the strong support systems we have such as family, friends, faith, etc. Think about how lucky each one of us are to have that. Then, think about the people who aren't so lucky and, in some ways, have given up hope.
Each of us have our own reasons for running. The one thing I'm sure we agree on is the sense of pride we feel after we've done our first 5k, 10k, half, etc. Do you remember what that felt like? And, from that pride, did it carry over into your life? Did it give you confidence to try other distances in racing or other things in your life that you didn't think you could do before? Well, that is what the 'Back on My Feet' program is all about. It's giving a chance to take pride in something so they can carry it over into their everyday lives.
I would like a favor of you who are reading this. Anne Mahlum has been nominated as a 2008 CNN Person of the Year. Please vote for her if you think she is a worthy candidate. There is a link below that tells Anne's whole story and the opportunity to vote for her (there is also a link to a video). All those who have been nominated are worthy, but, Anne's story touches all of us who are fellow runners. And, how many of us, after reading her story didn't say, 'Wow, why didn't I think of that?"
Here's the favor. I have a small number of regular readers to this blog. (Which, I thank you for being there). So, I was wondering if you could pass the word in your blogs or forward the information to others? In that way, other people will read it and post on their blogs and so forth and on and on and on. Ultimately, it would be nice to let the world know what we already know--the importance of the physical and spiritual nature of what running can be in our lives. Anne has found a key to unlock the human potential where others have failed. I applauded her for her efforts and I hope she gets the recognition she deserves.
(For full disclosure, I do not personally know Anne but, as stated, have seen her with the 'Back on My Feet' runners at the Frostbite 5 miler. Her work has been featured throughout the summer on local stations. Here is link to the website. http://backonmyfeet.org/main/index.html )
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/04/02/heroes.mahlum/index.html
Link to the Video:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/04/02/heroes.mahlum/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
No comments:
Post a Comment